Municipal Court of Seattle — Local services in Seattle

What a scam. If you receive a parking ticket, don't expect evidence of your innocence to clear your name. They take the cop's word over your photos. The cop doesn't even have to have the address of your offense, they put down on the ticket whatever makes them look good. But don't expect the magistrate to be impartial or unbiased. What's right and true means nothing. They want your money, and will get it any way they can, no matter how shady or unlawful their practices are. Oh, and if you want to appeal your case, it'll cost you upwards of $300, not including the original fee and the time you would have to spend going through the process.

They do not provide legal council for you. They do not provide instructions for your case. They steal your time, money, and trust. The city doesn't follow its own statutes. The court will mail you documents with contradictory instructions. Oh, and for fun, they won't tell you if your case can't be contested in writing, or why. My case followed all the rules for a written contest, but they forced me to come to court, wasting half my day, even though the officer doesn't have to show up. The rules during Covid are a mess, too, but they will NEVER admit their mistakes in your due process and will treat you like a criminal no matter how well dressed and professional you are.

You can spend hours researching laws, collecting evidence, and traveling to court and they don't care about any of it. All they want is your money. They don't care if they waste your time, but they do care if they waste the cop's time. So heads up, if you contest your ticket, have an in-person hearing, and want the officer to be present in your case, you have to go IN PERSON to the court and request the officer's presence at least TWO WEEKS before your case. Tell me how that's fair.

They do not treat you like a human. They do not care about what's right. They do not care about your evidence. If there is ANY WAY they can convict you, they will. THEY WANT YOUR MONEY. Never try to make a case for yourself based on what's fair. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU OR YOUR EVIDENCE. They interpret the law however they feel like, and if the judge is in a bad mood that day, you will have the pleasure of enduring their condescension, arrogance, and misconduct.

I will never trust in the justice system again, and neither should you. Trust that they want your money and to feel powerful, and will do whatever it takes to make that happen for themselves without blinking an eye. You are nothing but a number to them. The people working in the system are clearly unhappy, jaded, biased and have not one humanitarian bone in their bodies. Your taxes pay their incomes and yet they feel entitled to your time, energy, and money as if you owe them something for being condescending, glorified "parents" who scold and correct without questioning the TRUTH.

YOU ARE GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT HERE.

I do not want to live in Seattle after experiencing what "justice" means to this city. The parking ticket system is a scam heavily abused by greedy, lazy officers. Better to live somewhere else, or to avoid owning a car altogether, because even without parking signs, painted curbs, working meters, or any other provisions outlined as requirements in the CITY'S statues, they are going to squeeze time and money out of you without a care in the world. Hypocritical, unethical, unfair, arrogant, and NOT FOR THE PEOPLE is how I would describe the Seattle Municipal Court, its magistrates, and traffic officers working here.

THE BROKEN SYSTEM NEEDS TO...

COMPLETELY A CORRUPT SYSTEM INDEED! Makes up tickets and pins it down to the incorrect people. Cannot trust them at all! I’m spending so much time and working to fight a ticket that was never my vehicle or violation at all!

Officer Nathan Morrow 7337 issued a ticket to me that wasn’t even my vehicle nor have I ever been to the street/area. I do not even go to Seattle at all! No vin# on the ticket, and when I asked for proof for the photos and such, it wasn’t my vehicle at all. The violation occurred on December 13, 2022. And I was surprised by mail on March 25, 2023 pinning to me that I have a violation ticket. And the license plate was blurred or you can’t even see it. I’m sure that officer Nathan Morrow 7337 had just made up the license plate. As I have been spending a lot of time on the phone to fight this, eventually the people I have talked to over the phone just told me to schedule the hearing and which I did attend on April 25, 2023 @1:45PM. I went to the telephonic hearing, but the call did not even last for more than 5 minutes with the judge. I was telling the Judge Roache that I am not the owner nor I ever was the owner of the vehicle that was given a ticket. Judge Roache then told me that this is not what the hearing is about and he had transferred me to another phone line with a scheduler. I was eventually transferred to the regular customer line. And I was reverted back to the original people that have helped me, and Phyillis have been so kind and helpful and she said that she saw my emails and such and she will put this in for Seattle Police Department to cancel this case. I felt some sense of relief… Phyllis told me I did not need to do anything after, as she was gonna take care of it.

MONTHS HAVE PASSED

But now, December 19, 2023, I get a mail from Harris&Harris a collections agency. Notifying me that I have a DELINQUENCY NOTIFICATION.

I had called Harris&Harris, agent Christy have been so nice as well, but they said that anything that was refuted or disputed must be with the Municipal Court of Seattle. Christy said that the Municipal Court of Seattle sent this to collections on November 13, 2023. I called Seattle Municipal Court and spoke to Robin and Phyllis, they said that I was scheduled a second hearing on May 17, 2023 and claims that I did not show up to it. I told them I was never told about a second hearing. No mail notification or a phone call/voicemail about a second hearing. I showed up on my April 25, 2023 hearing, but I was never made known about a second hearing. But it seems like they scheduled one without my knowledge. And they counted it as I didn’t show up. How would have I been aware? I didn’t speak to anyone about a second hearing, nor a mail or call about it whatsoever.

I AM SPENDING SO MUCH TIME ON THIS ISSUE THAT I DID NOT EVEN DO. THIS IS OFFICER NATHAN MORROW’S ERROR.

And this is simply just ridiculous! I am spending so much time on an issue to clear my name that’s not even my vehicle at all! Pinning down an innocent person!

Their hours are also so limited that I’m constantly needing to leave and take some time off from work just to deal with this issue.

I wouldn’t have minded paying for a ticket that I am at fault or if indeed is my vehicle. But this is not the case! The main issue here is the principle. I am fighting someone else’s battle. For another person’s vehicle that was due to the negligence of officer Nathan...

I want to preface that going into this establishment, was on par to the feeling of entering a king's throne hall and begging for just circumstances.

I went for a hearing due to illegal actions a state sector is committing against me, that has ever increasing fees. I was allotted less than 3 days for a hearing when I'm legally required a week.

I walked in with full spectrum evidence, timeline, government filings, plaintiff document trail (or lack thereof), sourcing, and pages of highlighted legal code. I was pushed out of the courtroom- the judge saying, "my hands are tied" - without a hearing and no options for followup forcing me to apply for bankrupcy.

The clerk told me they don't have an official form to arrange a 2nd hearing with a different judge (they do, its called filing a Motion or Continuance). But he said to then and there, write my claims on a document similar. And I did.

I sat down with the first floor of cashiers, asking procedure to which they told me the second floor has my answers- to which the second floor told me the cashiers had the answer and so on- just shoving me out of their way.

So eventually, hours into the seattle municipal legal data base (4 hours) to access district court outlets that usually takes 4-7months to respond (but your available time frame for a 2nd hearing ACCEPTANCE expires in less than 30 days).

Usually when these city government agencies get back tp you after 7 months they tell you, "you anyway have the wrong department"- just to snub you off - even when the document fulfills your situation perfectly, and the 30 other documents you looked at within said legal section didnt fit the situation description.

I sought council with the mayor's office, The Bar Association, the RWC and judges i know that used to defend claims for fortune 500's: they say these judges are usually scraped from the bottom of the barrell. They put on a stone face for their government paycheck & benefits. Meaning if any case were to go past a hearing or initial appeal, their officials would simply dissolve from the slightest pressure to civilly problem solve. Maybe they have incentives like insurance that incur bonuses i dont know.

They anyway need 3 people on the courtstand. One audit, annex to the other and the judge at the tip of the triangle. A silenced 5+ person jury tuning in through zoom (faceless) sitting behind 2020 covid plastic & masks.

The craziest part is that you can incur criminal charges for not paying the made up numbers they shackle you to (hence these documents).

I've filed for a 2nd hearing different judge through mail, online & the clerk. 6...