ASHEBORO, N.C. — North Carolina has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit by notifying more than 185,000 drivers whose licenses were revoked for failing to pay court fines and costs that they may be able to have those suspensions lifted.
Over the next 60 days, the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles will contact the drivers to inform them of their rights under state law, according to a settlement agreement reached in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina in Greensboro.
The lawsuit was filed in May 2018 by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation, the ACLU Foundation and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Under North Carolina General Statute § 20-24.1, drivers can request that sentencing courts lift license revocations if they can demonstrate that their failure to pay was due to inability to afford it, rather than willful refusal.
Drivers can file a motion for relief from fines and fees to show inability to pay. The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts has created a template form for filing such motions. The NC DMV will mail copies of the template to drivers upon request for six months.
The NC DMV has agreed to update future license revocation notices to inform drivers about their options under state law. Previously, notices indicated that full payment was the only option to prevent suspension.
The NC DMV will help fund a website where the public can access information about preventing or removing license suspensions for non-payment and connect with pro bono legal resources. The website is available at resolvetrafficdebtNC.org.
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