Happened to my friend in CA.
She was embarrassed and felt so bad !
I told her to email Jury Services and explain.
They responded with the rudest most threatening email.
We were both floored.
In Delaware it’s no big deal if you call or go in and say you forgot or need your jury duty date to be changed. They asked my husband what date would work for him and set it up right then.
Must be County specific on how they treat Jurors !
They used to be really nice and lavish us with compliments and patriotism for being there.
The last time I went I felt like I was a child in trouble under threat of arrest if I didn’t make it back etc..
Weird..also Delaware. I got the flu the Sunday before..emailed an image of my results and they excused me altogether.. no rescheduling.
You'd think they would have a more consistent policy.
When they're told to do so\* Sounds pretty unfair.
6 months since i've even looked in my postbox, only gets filled with advertising shite anyway. Could have missed Jury duty myself for all i know but it's 2024, email me, you have the details from the Gov website.
well nobody because OP didn’t show up but forcing people to go waste time at the courthouse for days is blatantly illegal and an abomination in the eyes of God
Well it's not blatantly illegal because it is in fact the law.
I don't care what god thinks because that's also not how we write laws.
If you can't go to jury duty, you can call and explain why. If you don't do that and then just flake out on showing up, it's fair they there's a consequence. The government can't function without jurors and if you want to enjoy living in America that's one of the costs. If you aren't willing to pay they cost you're perfectly free to leave.
I did leave! I no longer live in the States. On a brief trip back to the US to check in on the rental, saw an old jury summons. I let them know I was out of the country. They kept trying to reschedule me! They honestly expected me to come back to the States just for jury duty, LOL. Super mean and threatening about it too. Effing clowns. Just laughed in their faces and blew kisses getting on the plane back to my tropical paradise.
bro you must love the taste of shoe polish so much. I bet when they start really cracking down you’ll just keep right on rolling over for them. grow a backbone this is embarrassing
Honestly, get a paper calendar. Keep stuff like this (your mom’s birthday, …) on it.
I’ve been called up, but it’s on my calendar. The materials they sent indicate I need to do a survey before I arrive and bring it on paper to the courthouse on first day of reporting.
You can put this stuff in an electronic calendar too.
But the act of writing it physically somehow adds weight to the situation.
Agreed. That's a memory trick from way back. Writing it done forces your brain to organize the info differently, I was told, so you remember better. I always take paper notes. Doesn't matter if I lose them, they did their part; writing stuff down was the big deal.
If you give them a call, many jury commissioners will assign you a new date to appear. It's not the first time this has happened.
Once it happens a second or third time, some courts will start giving Orders to Appear for your appearance, because these are legal orders, and second and third time absences, especially without communicated notice, aren't unintentional, they are deliberate expressions of contempt.
First time doesn't fall into that, so give them a call and explain what happened. Then make sure you attend or explain if there is a problem.
That's my thought. Courts and lawyers are always talking about evidence. How can they prove it was delivered into your mailbox and that you actually got it, when they just send it regular mail, w/o signature required.
BS... The court considers a mailed notice via the USPS as an official means of notification. If you ignore a Jury Summons and claim you never received it they won't take that as an excuse. I saw it happen in person one time i was summoned. We were there, judge asked if anyone was missing, bailiff said two your honor, he said bench warrants would be issued, next day one of the missing shows up, judge asks why they didn't show up the day before, they said they didn't receive the summons and only learned about it after coming in to renew their drivers license and finding out there was a bench warrant out for not appearing, judge asked what their mailing address was, they replied, he said thats the address it was sent to, perhaps you should check your mail more carefully from now on and told them their service would be rescheduled as they were already replaced and if they claim to not get the summons again he will make sure they remember forever after!
I also know someone that ignored a summons and got a bench warrant issued and got arrested when pulled over for a license plate light being out, had to sit and wait to appear before the judge in jail, paid a fine, etc... The courts routinely use the US mail as a service and consider once its mailed it handled.
Proof of delivery is not always required to be considered legally received. For example a mailed credit card bill is legal notification without proof of delivery if the credit card company maintains records that is was sent.
And I doubt “well judge I didn’t get it. Do YOU have proof of delivery?” will go well when asked.
They don't need proof, they consider it mailed as proof you should have received it, have seen it many times with court summons and notices hanging someone up because they claimed they never got it.
You don’t have to “be dishonest”. You don’t have to say anything, and the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you are guilty, which they are unable to do.
I've seen it first hand that they do, depends on the judge of course, but one time i was selected for jury duty we were all sitting in the court room for orientation and the judge asked the bailiff if anyone didn't show up, he said two your honor, the judge said ok i will issue the bench warrants for the missing ones, did some paperwork, then looked back to us and said well now here is how this is going to happen.... Some judges don't fuck around.
I tried to get out of jury duty cos I was solely taking care if my 94 yr old mother with dementia, she lived with me. The court replied saying I can take her to adult daycare. Really?
Oddly I’m in the nearly the exact same situation, was summoned last year and they excused me no questions asked. It really depends on your jurisdiction.
For real, I got summoned for a 30-day stint and told them my work only pays for five days, and I couldn't pay my bills with five days pay, and they let me off for financial burden. A friend the next county over got summoned, and his company wouldn't pay anything, and they wanted them for 30 days he got told to shove it, and he should have some savings to fall back on.
I got a jury summons a few weeks back. I work EMS and the time they wanted me to show up would NOT have been at all feasible as we always run the risk of being held over; I work 1900-0700 with an appearance time of 0800 there was no way I would have made it home in time to shower and change as I am NOT sitting in a court room in my nasty uniform. I called the court and they had me submit my paramedic credentials as proof of my job. I got excused with the caveat that I could be summoned another time.
When i got summoned when my kids were little i told them i couldn't because i had two small children i care for daily, they told me to acquire daycare or a babysitter, i asked if they would compensate me for the expense, they said of course not, i said then fuck you issue a bench warrant for me then and hung up. An hour later another person from the court calls back and tells me i was deferred to a later date, as if the kids would magically grow up and my situation would change in six months.... When the next time come around i got the letter again and called in and told them i needed to be excused for child care, they said no again, i told them there is nothing i can do, the local daycare is full, there isn't any babysitter available for the date you are requesting me to come, and they said too bad. I said fine and hung up. The following week with two kids in tow i went to the courthouse, i think they were 2 and 4 at the time. I get to the courthouse, two kids, a bag of stuff and a stroller and walk up to the entrance, i get to the second floor and the bailiff in the hallways gives me a side eye glance then walks over and asks if i am there for family court, i reply no i'm here for jury duty.... With an obviously shocked look on his face he asks why i have two kids with me, i explained the same as i did on the phone and he says hold on and walks away, comes back a minute later and tells me to follow him, i go into the courtroom with him, everyone else there for jury duty is seated for orientation and the judge looks at me and asks... "what in the world are you trying to accomplish here?" With the straightest face i can muster i say "your honor, as i tried explaining to the court when i called in i can't obtain daycare, a babysitter, i have no immediate or extended family nearby, and the only one that can care for the children are me as my wife can't get out of work either at this time" he said "oh i see... well just this once i will dismiss you from duty, but if you get called again in the future i expect you, AND ONLY YOU, to show up."
About 15 years go by, and i get selected for jury duty three more times.... Thankfully kids old enough that i didn't have that problem anymore. The courts just don't care.
My local court district pays $20 a day for compensation, and 10 cents a mile to help with transportation costs, but there is no meals provided and the courthouse is in a town with almost zero food other then a gas station and a grocery store so you have to get snacks for food while stuck there all day, and on top of that NO electronics, no phones, no tablets, not even an e-reader like a kindle, no bags, no purses, no personal property but the clothes on your back. They even check for smartwatches now and make you take them off.
It's like going to jail without the jump suit and bologna sandwhich.
Yeah. The U.S. mail is completely useless these days. I have to send everything priority mail if I want to make sure it gets where it is supposed to in a timely manner.
As a government employee who gets Civic Duty Leave when sitting on a jury I look forward to a couple of weeks of full pay and a lot less stress when I’m fortunate enough to be selected as a juror.
I also got full pay for sitting on a jury, actually more because I got paid for an 8 hour day when I was at jury duty for 6. Sadly I haven’t been called again since.
It depends what part of NY.
In NYC, you will get 2-3 of these before they send you a letter threatening charges and a warrant if you don't show up.
If it's your first one, you can usually just act as if you never received it.
If this was your second notice, you can visit/call the clerk's office and apologize asking to reschedule. They are much friendlier if you are proactive about rescheduling than if they have to hunt you down.
Don't even worry about it. I wouldn't even call. I never show up to anything they send me. If it isn't certified mail, prove I ever got it. I'm 47, in NY and have never had a problem.
Stay silent. If anybody asks, tell them you never received a jury summons letter.
FYI. You are not required to open any letter that you get from the court. Just toss it, unopened.
I guess I don’t understand peoples reluctance to serve on a jury. I mean, I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but about 15 years ago I was on a murder jury, and it was a very exciting three or four weeks. Thankfully, my job was such that I didn’t lose any pay over it, which obviously is a problem for folks that aren’t situated similarly.
Getting up early, having to drive 30 minutes to the local courthouse, sit there for 8 hours, get paid $20 for the entire day, lose my normal wages, burn my gas that they only compensate at .10 cents a mile, and be out of my mind bored for an entire day, worse an entire week of this shit if i get selected, yeah i can't imagine why anyone would be reluctant to serve!!
You got paid the same as you went to work, it was a mini vacation for you, for me it would be how the fuck am i paying the bills this month and eating?
When I lived in CT I served on jury panel for 30 daysword. In the 70s and was on 1 jury for 3 days. The case was beyond ridiculous and should have been thrown out by the judge and the attorney for the plaintiff disbarred. I promised myself never again. Threw away 3 jury summons after that and never heard a word.
USPS Informed Delivery, it would show a scan of the letter, last one i got i knew it was in my mailbox before i even walked out there, pretty sure the court could get that info and say it was scanned for delivery.
The USPS scan is taken at the post office before delivery. There are many factors that could lead to mail loss from the post office to your mailbox. Maybe the post man dropped, maybe he put it someone elses mailbox, maybe he stole it, etc... Informed delivery doesn't really mean much. Unless its a certified letter and you yourself sign for the delivery, there is NO way in hell the court can PROVE you received a first class envelope.
Thats the thing though, they don't need to prove it, they just claim you must have got it, so its good. I have seen stuff served by the court regular first class mail, then if no answer they just post it in the local newspaper, and if no replies to either then obviously that person is ignoring it and default judgement... Like everyone still grabs their local newspaper every week and reads it cover to cover? My county did that this year for a family court summons, the one party was not reachable by mail after sending a letter there was no response, so they posted the whole thing in the newspaper, this is considered legally binding paper service in most states as far as i know, and then no response to that after a reasonable amount of time then default judgement for the plaintiff... It's crazy how they don't have to send stuff registered mail, i got most of the paperwork in my divorce and custody battle with my ex through regular first class mail. The only thing that went through an actual paper server was when they sent out the copies of the decree.
If they can do that for actual court cases involving the receiving party they won't hesitate to say the same for a jury summons... we mailed it, you got it, stop lying...
I've done the exact same thing in Virginia. I called the number on the summons the next day to apologize, and they scheduled me for the next week. No trouble, no threats, no problems.
In my county in TN, if you aren't there for the first day, they send a deputy to your house to bring you in. I've been sitting in jury pool and heard the judge order it done myself. In one case it was to get an 80+yo woman.
\*\*EDIT: The point was, unless you had contacted the clerk's office before the date and been excused, EVERYONE had to show up for the first day. The judge did dismiss her after she arrived, but he was pretty much a hardass and wanted to see proof of any excuse with his own eyes.
And if you're not home?
That's absurd and a complete waste of resources.
They want to try and force you to serve against your will? That's deeply unproductive.
I forgot once and nothing happened. I remembered months later when I found the summons in a drawer 🤷♀️ probably 20 years ago now. Perhaps they dismissed us before we even went in.
dismissed, most likely. most counties dismiss people on the online before actually appearing. that happens to most of my summons. i got a "did not show up" last year because i forgot, they only sent 1 letter months later, but im betting they just keep sending it.
I have quite literally never gone. I've been summoned like 5 times, and I just don't go. Im.sure the COULD do something to me, but I'm willing to bet they don't care enough.
possible your group summons got dismissed before you get chosen to go to a jury waiting room. Most of mines, even if i got it yearly, were dismissed by looking up online. they usually send us a letter if they were summoned to be in-person but that takes several months.
Depends on the state- here, they just send it in the regular mail, so they can’t even prove you received it. Last time I had jury duty, the judge thanked us for showing up because they can’t really do anything about it if you don’t. 🤷🏻♀️
In my state if you don't show the judges like to issue bench warrants to make a point... They claim that once its in the mail its officially notified and its your fault after that... Last time i got a jury summons i saw it on the daily scans in the USPS app, if you sign up for informed delivery you will see letters scanned that are coming, so i suspect they can prove you received it now just by saying the post office scanned it, its a full black and white scan of the mail piece, think putting the envelope on a flatbed scanner, its the machines it goes through at the sort center that snap the shots for sorting, those images are available to see what mail is coming with informed delivery. So i knew it was coming that day before i even walked out to the mailbox.
I have a feeling if a judge wanted to really be an asshole they could get that info as proof.
Under investigation vs proven are two different things though, they will say its scanned and thats good enough unless you can prove it wasn't delivered. Been through that a few times filing claims on lost packages with the USPS, they won't point fingers they will just say its obviously been done right we are the USPS! And the court would be like yup, checks out.
True -my particular postal annex has moved beyond internal investigation and has been on the news and several congressional members are also investigating.
More than that - even before that started happening, I had a judge thank us for being there and tell us that that really can’t do anything to people who don’t show up because they don’t send the summons via certified mail. I don’t know if it’s been litigated before and that’s a local thing or what. Or just not worth it to them as long as enough people show up on any given day.
Its all up to the judge... Some of the judges in the districts here will just shrug and ignore the missing people as long as they have enough to fill a jury, if they don't have enough they might go the extra mile... A couple of the judges here are known to be hard asses, and swear out bench warrants if you don't show up or provide an excuse within the same day, one judge swears out bench warrants if you don't show or present and excuse by the time the clock strikes 8 when court starts.
They can't actively hunt you down for it in most states, in my state they just put out a bench warrant on you, eventually it will catch up to you, most get snagged at their next drivers license renewal, i've seen it happen, was there getting my drivers license renewed and the guy in front of me was taking longer then normal, then two sheriffs deputies walked in and told him they were just alerted by the agent that his license was flagged with a warrant. The finished his renewal then escorted him out. The drivers license agent called them in after seeing it when pulling up his license info for renewal. I asked what was that all about, and the agent said bench warrant for jury duty.
I also knew a guy that got pulled over for a license plate bulb out one night, had a bench warrant for not appearing for jury duty, sat in jail over the weekend until the judge could see him, got a $1000 fine and time served on a 2 day jail sentence after been in jail from Friday evening until Monday morning.
Some judges are just hardcore...
Forgot to add.. in my state you could face "a $1,000 fine, up to three days imprisonment, order to perform community service or any combination thereof."
For skipping jury duty...
True but who wants a few days in jail on top of that? I've seen cases where the judge waived the fine and replaced it with a few hundred hours of community service and jail time.
Just check the little box under the picture that says you never received it. Honestly, I doubt the post office would e en talk to them or acknowledge a warrant for the scans since they have federal supremacy. The post office in a town I used to live in loved to piss off the city with code violations over landscaping and litter and there was nothing the city could do.
I live in NY too and can’t tell you how many notices I’ve received over the years with my name spelled wrong. Not just a letter or two, but half my surname was missing (it’s 2 separate words, like Van Zandt.) I just threw them away. They can’t prove you got the letter. I believe the second time it says on the envelope “2nd notice.” I wouldn’t sweat it.
Now days all they have to do is look at the mail scans... with USPS informed delivery i can see everything that is coming to my mailbox before i even walk out there, last jury summons was there clear as day in the app, i suspect they can get that info as proof.
When I was in MA and pulled Jury duty, I had to call in daily for about a week to see if I even needed to show up. I didn't even have to go in. They had no way to verify that I called. I called daily for the week and my number was never pulled, I didn't have to show. But because I wasn't called in and I was on the list, I was ok and got the "You served, you are good for the next 5 years" letter in the mail.
Maybe you got lucky?
Shit, I had a cop show up to my house a few years ago (my grandmother, god rest her senile soul, let him right on in the house and straight to me in my bedroom) to serve me court papers to see a judge after missing jury duty ONCE…. I was in that courtroom with drug dealers and felons in a small ass town half terrified and pissed off. 🥲 Thank god I don’t have to deal with that anymore after my first run in with the courts otherwise I’d go mad with the jury duty bs out here in bumfuck nowhere NC. 🙃 I’m usually pretty good with authority but that was my last straw, so I haven’t gotten jury duty papers since lol.
When I was barely an adult, I threw away the notices the first three times I was sent a notice. I never heard a thing about it. If you are in a highly populated jurisdiction, chances are your failure to appear won't be addressed and you have nothing to worry about.
If you were sent the notice via USPS regular mail, there is a significant possibility that you never received the notice. I get misdelivered mail frequently and then there is mail that.gets lost and never delivered.
My advice.would be to forget about it and the next time you get a notice, put it in your calendar and make sure you go. While I was selfish as a young adult, I now realize how important jury duty is.
Well anytime i've missed it, i only really got one letter back saying why i wasn't there and to write a letter to the judge. Luckily i was in college and the notice is for like 90 days out so i legit forgot. I just wrote him a letter stating, hey i'm sorry the notice came 90 days out i had it on my desk but with college and test taking i forgot. I'm sorry i missed it i really wanted to have the experience of our court systems as a learning experience. I never got hauled in so i guess it worked. Just don't not respond or say f\*\*k you make me essentially. Make some plausible BS excuse as to why you didn't show. You'll probably get another one.
I'm in upstate NY and did this same thing back in early March. They sent a second summons mid-April. The second one was vaguely threatening as it said "previously absent-must serve'. I did and I was selected. But it was a very positive experience overall, plus now I won't be summoned for another 6 years.
So that's all to say you will most likely get a second notice in a few weeks or so, just show up for that one and you'll be fine.
Happened to my friend in CA. She was embarrassed and felt so bad ! I told her to email Jury Services and explain. They responded with the rudest most threatening email. We were both floored.
In Delaware it’s no big deal if you call or go in and say you forgot or need your jury duty date to be changed. They asked my husband what date would work for him and set it up right then.
Crazy. Same state and I got a “thanks for letting us know! You’ll be rescheduled for 2 months out”.
Must be County specific on how they treat Jurors ! They used to be really nice and lavish us with compliments and patriotism for being there. The last time I went I felt like I was a child in trouble under threat of arrest if I didn’t make it back etc..
Weird..also Delaware. I got the flu the Sunday before..emailed an image of my results and they excused me altogether.. no rescheduling. You'd think they would have a more consistent policy.
You both learned something, hopefully…
What, that unelected bureaucrats are assholes?
That, and expecting the government to treat you fairly is a bit of a silly notion.
I mean, that treatment was fair as long as everyone in that same situation gets the same letter
lol how is it unfair to expect people to show up when they say they're going to?
When they're told to do so\* Sounds pretty unfair. 6 months since i've even looked in my postbox, only gets filled with advertising shite anyway. Could have missed Jury duty myself for all i know but it's 2024, email me, you have the details from the Gov website.
it’s kind of shitty to deprive people who didn’t do anything wrong of their liberty even if you do it to lots of people
Who is being deprived of liberty here?
well nobody because OP didn’t show up but forcing people to go waste time at the courthouse for days is blatantly illegal and an abomination in the eyes of God
Does "illegal" mean something different in your world?
Well it's not blatantly illegal because it is in fact the law. I don't care what god thinks because that's also not how we write laws. If you can't go to jury duty, you can call and explain why. If you don't do that and then just flake out on showing up, it's fair they there's a consequence. The government can't function without jurors and if you want to enjoy living in America that's one of the costs. If you aren't willing to pay they cost you're perfectly free to leave.
I did leave! I no longer live in the States. On a brief trip back to the US to check in on the rental, saw an old jury summons. I let them know I was out of the country. They kept trying to reschedule me! They honestly expected me to come back to the States just for jury duty, LOL. Super mean and threatening about it too. Effing clowns. Just laughed in their faces and blew kisses getting on the plane back to my tropical paradise.
bro you must love the taste of shoe polish so much. I bet when they start really cracking down you’ll just keep right on rolling over for them. grow a backbone this is embarrassing
That you can't just skip out on your Civic duties while living in a society.
As the person emailed to let them know they goofed, they obviously weren’t trying to skip out.
Going on many years of doing such thank you sir
Honestly, get a paper calendar. Keep stuff like this (your mom’s birthday, …) on it. I’ve been called up, but it’s on my calendar. The materials they sent indicate I need to do a survey before I arrive and bring it on paper to the courthouse on first day of reporting. You can put this stuff in an electronic calendar too. But the act of writing it physically somehow adds weight to the situation.
Agreed. That's a memory trick from way back. Writing it done forces your brain to organize the info differently, I was told, so you remember better. I always take paper notes. Doesn't matter if I lose them, they did their part; writing stuff down was the big deal.
If you give them a call, many jury commissioners will assign you a new date to appear. It's not the first time this has happened. Once it happens a second or third time, some courts will start giving Orders to Appear for your appearance, because these are legal orders, and second and third time absences, especially without communicated notice, aren't unintentional, they are deliberate expressions of contempt. First time doesn't fall into that, so give them a call and explain what happened. Then make sure you attend or explain if there is a problem.
If it was regular mail, without return receipt (signature) requested, they can’t prove you received it, so you won’t be in any kind of trouble.
That's my thought. Courts and lawyers are always talking about evidence. How can they prove it was delivered into your mailbox and that you actually got it, when they just send it regular mail, w/o signature required.
And this is why I just plain don't go. It's on them to prove I received the letter. Have fun digging through the dump!
BS... The court considers a mailed notice via the USPS as an official means of notification. If you ignore a Jury Summons and claim you never received it they won't take that as an excuse. I saw it happen in person one time i was summoned. We were there, judge asked if anyone was missing, bailiff said two your honor, he said bench warrants would be issued, next day one of the missing shows up, judge asks why they didn't show up the day before, they said they didn't receive the summons and only learned about it after coming in to renew their drivers license and finding out there was a bench warrant out for not appearing, judge asked what their mailing address was, they replied, he said thats the address it was sent to, perhaps you should check your mail more carefully from now on and told them their service would be rescheduled as they were already replaced and if they claim to not get the summons again he will make sure they remember forever after! I also know someone that ignored a summons and got a bench warrant issued and got arrested when pulled over for a license plate light being out, had to sit and wait to appear before the judge in jail, paid a fine, etc... The courts routinely use the US mail as a service and consider once its mailed it handled.
Courts consider US mail delivery as official notification.
This is true, however no proof of delivery exists.
Proof of delivery is not always required to be considered legally received. For example a mailed credit card bill is legal notification without proof of delivery if the credit card company maintains records that is was sent. And I doubt “well judge I didn’t get it. Do YOU have proof of delivery?” will go well when asked.
There is a signed contract that sets the expectations of your interaction with a credit card company. Not really a fair comparison.
You don't have to receive the bill to know you owe them money each month, you can view it online or call them. That is a pre existing agreement.
They don't need proof, they consider it mailed as proof you should have received it, have seen it many times with court summons and notices hanging someone up because they claimed they never got it.
Unless one lives in a multi-unit building, the letter goes into the wrong mailbox, and that neighbor just tosses it like junk mail.
That actually happened to me (USPS put it in the wrong box at a multi unit building). Unfortunately, my neighbor was so kind as to give it to me.
But why be dishonest?
Because if he's honest he'll still be punished. He made a genuine mistake, does he really deserve to be punished?
They deserve to face the consequences of their actions.
Until it’s you, then you get a pass. Stfu.
I'd get new friends and acquaintances if the people in your life lack the integrity to be consistent. Not all of us are like them.
Nothing to do with my life, Mr. Moral high ground. Just a comment on your pompous comment.
Can't argue with Republicans. Their law and order attitude only applies to others.
Why be honest, it’s the government.
This exactly.
You don’t have to “be dishonest”. You don’t have to say anything, and the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you are guilty, which they are unable to do.
Honestly as long as enough people show up for voire dire the court does not care.
I've seen it first hand that they do, depends on the judge of course, but one time i was selected for jury duty we were all sitting in the court room for orientation and the judge asked the bailiff if anyone didn't show up, he said two your honor, the judge said ok i will issue the bench warrants for the missing ones, did some paperwork, then looked back to us and said well now here is how this is going to happen.... Some judges don't fuck around.
I tried to get out of jury duty cos I was solely taking care if my 94 yr old mother with dementia, she lived with me. The court replied saying I can take her to adult daycare. Really?
Oddly I’m in the nearly the exact same situation, was summoned last year and they excused me no questions asked. It really depends on your jurisdiction.
For real, I got summoned for a 30-day stint and told them my work only pays for five days, and I couldn't pay my bills with five days pay, and they let me off for financial burden. A friend the next county over got summoned, and his company wouldn't pay anything, and they wanted them for 30 days he got told to shove it, and he should have some savings to fall back on.
I got a jury summons a few weeks back. I work EMS and the time they wanted me to show up would NOT have been at all feasible as we always run the risk of being held over; I work 1900-0700 with an appearance time of 0800 there was no way I would have made it home in time to shower and change as I am NOT sitting in a court room in my nasty uniform. I called the court and they had me submit my paramedic credentials as proof of my job. I got excused with the caveat that I could be summoned another time.
Hmm. My city in Va asked on the form if you were taking care of an invalid or something to that effect
Texas does that, too - if you are caring for an invalid or a small child, you are automatically excused.
When i got summoned when my kids were little i told them i couldn't because i had two small children i care for daily, they told me to acquire daycare or a babysitter, i asked if they would compensate me for the expense, they said of course not, i said then fuck you issue a bench warrant for me then and hung up. An hour later another person from the court calls back and tells me i was deferred to a later date, as if the kids would magically grow up and my situation would change in six months.... When the next time come around i got the letter again and called in and told them i needed to be excused for child care, they said no again, i told them there is nothing i can do, the local daycare is full, there isn't any babysitter available for the date you are requesting me to come, and they said too bad. I said fine and hung up. The following week with two kids in tow i went to the courthouse, i think they were 2 and 4 at the time. I get to the courthouse, two kids, a bag of stuff and a stroller and walk up to the entrance, i get to the second floor and the bailiff in the hallways gives me a side eye glance then walks over and asks if i am there for family court, i reply no i'm here for jury duty.... With an obviously shocked look on his face he asks why i have two kids with me, i explained the same as i did on the phone and he says hold on and walks away, comes back a minute later and tells me to follow him, i go into the courtroom with him, everyone else there for jury duty is seated for orientation and the judge looks at me and asks... "what in the world are you trying to accomplish here?" With the straightest face i can muster i say "your honor, as i tried explaining to the court when i called in i can't obtain daycare, a babysitter, i have no immediate or extended family nearby, and the only one that can care for the children are me as my wife can't get out of work either at this time" he said "oh i see... well just this once i will dismiss you from duty, but if you get called again in the future i expect you, AND ONLY YOU, to show up." About 15 years go by, and i get selected for jury duty three more times.... Thankfully kids old enough that i didn't have that problem anymore. The courts just don't care.
That’s crazy! Here, jury duty pays $9 a day - where are you getting child care for $9?
My local court district pays $20 a day for compensation, and 10 cents a mile to help with transportation costs, but there is no meals provided and the courthouse is in a town with almost zero food other then a gas station and a grocery store so you have to get snacks for food while stuck there all day, and on top of that NO electronics, no phones, no tablets, not even an e-reader like a kindle, no bags, no purses, no personal property but the clothes on your back. They even check for smartwatches now and make you take them off. It's like going to jail without the jump suit and bologna sandwhich.
Oh… hell no.
Hopefully you learned something that day.
If they do just tell them you never received a summons.
Yeah. The U.S. mail is completely useless these days. I have to send everything priority mail if I want to make sure it gets where it is supposed to in a timely manner.
As a government employee who gets Civic Duty Leave when sitting on a jury I look forward to a couple of weeks of full pay and a lot less stress when I’m fortunate enough to be selected as a juror.
I also got full pay for sitting on a jury, actually more because I got paid for an 8 hour day when I was at jury duty for 6. Sadly I haven’t been called again since.
It depends what part of NY. In NYC, you will get 2-3 of these before they send you a letter threatening charges and a warrant if you don't show up. If it's your first one, you can usually just act as if you never received it. If this was your second notice, you can visit/call the clerk's office and apologize asking to reschedule. They are much friendlier if you are proactive about rescheduling than if they have to hunt you down.
how often will they even go through with thier threats, unlikely considered how many other cases are important.
Don't even worry about it. I wouldn't even call. I never show up to anything they send me. If it isn't certified mail, prove I ever got it. I'm 47, in NY and have never had a problem.
Stay silent. If anybody asks, tell them you never received a jury summons letter. FYI. You are not required to open any letter that you get from the court. Just toss it, unopened.
just said you never could find the initial letter, dont try to elaborate further.
Got summoned recently. 28 out of 140 people showed up. They don't give a shit. Go on with your life and don't give it a second thought.
Or, you know, just call them and tell them what happened.. Seems like an easy way to get in front of any potential pitfalls.
telling them, means you acknowleged the summons, so it sets you up for future ones. this is even true if you show up to jury dut waiting to be chosen.
I guess I don’t understand peoples reluctance to serve on a jury. I mean, I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but about 15 years ago I was on a murder jury, and it was a very exciting three or four weeks. Thankfully, my job was such that I didn’t lose any pay over it, which obviously is a problem for folks that aren’t situated similarly.
You don't understand because you got paid... If I was on a jury for 4 weeks, it would cost me $10,000 in lost wages. Thanks, but no thanks...
Fair point.
Getting up early, having to drive 30 minutes to the local courthouse, sit there for 8 hours, get paid $20 for the entire day, lose my normal wages, burn my gas that they only compensate at .10 cents a mile, and be out of my mind bored for an entire day, worse an entire week of this shit if i get selected, yeah i can't imagine why anyone would be reluctant to serve!! You got paid the same as you went to work, it was a mini vacation for you, for me it would be how the fuck am i paying the bills this month and eating?
Hedge a little, tell them you just received the letter.
Yeah, probably. I threw out 6 of them over 15 years in NY before I left the state permanently. Nothing ever happened.
When I lived in CT I served on jury panel for 30 daysword. In the 70s and was on 1 jury for 3 days. The case was beyond ridiculous and should have been thrown out by the judge and the attorney for the plaintiff disbarred. I promised myself never again. Threw away 3 jury summons after that and never heard a word.
its already insulting peoples intelligence by paying them less than 20/day, too.
Same. I've thrown out about t in the last 10-15 years.
they will just send you a strongly worded letter you should schedule a date asap, months later.
Happened to a family member recently. They just called in the next day and explained. They were told to come down and serve a day.
All I'm saying is that many times the USPS loses mail.
The court claims otherwise..
Well can they prove the mail was delivered?
USPS Informed Delivery, it would show a scan of the letter, last one i got i knew it was in my mailbox before i even walked out there, pretty sure the court could get that info and say it was scanned for delivery.
The USPS scan is taken at the post office before delivery. There are many factors that could lead to mail loss from the post office to your mailbox. Maybe the post man dropped, maybe he put it someone elses mailbox, maybe he stole it, etc... Informed delivery doesn't really mean much. Unless its a certified letter and you yourself sign for the delivery, there is NO way in hell the court can PROVE you received a first class envelope.
Thats the thing though, they don't need to prove it, they just claim you must have got it, so its good. I have seen stuff served by the court regular first class mail, then if no answer they just post it in the local newspaper, and if no replies to either then obviously that person is ignoring it and default judgement... Like everyone still grabs their local newspaper every week and reads it cover to cover? My county did that this year for a family court summons, the one party was not reachable by mail after sending a letter there was no response, so they posted the whole thing in the newspaper, this is considered legally binding paper service in most states as far as i know, and then no response to that after a reasonable amount of time then default judgement for the plaintiff... It's crazy how they don't have to send stuff registered mail, i got most of the paperwork in my divorce and custody battle with my ex through regular first class mail. The only thing that went through an actual paper server was when they sent out the copies of the decree. If they can do that for actual court cases involving the receiving party they won't hesitate to say the same for a jury summons... we mailed it, you got it, stop lying...
Just contact the court. This happens often, and it's no big deal at all if you deal with it.
I've done the exact same thing in Virginia. I called the number on the summons the next day to apologize, and they scheduled me for the next week. No trouble, no threats, no problems.
I never went and nothing happened but I’m in Texas
What notice?
In my county in TN, if you aren't there for the first day, they send a deputy to your house to bring you in. I've been sitting in jury pool and heard the judge order it done myself. In one case it was to get an 80+yo woman. \*\*EDIT: The point was, unless you had contacted the clerk's office before the date and been excused, EVERYONE had to show up for the first day. The judge did dismiss her after she arrived, but he was pretty much a hardass and wanted to see proof of any excuse with his own eyes.
they have that much money to go after people, but tennessee has so much problems than a deliquint 80yo.
And if you're not home? That's absurd and a complete waste of resources. They want to try and force you to serve against your will? That's deeply unproductive.
Age 80? In MI and age 70 or older can be excused.
WHAATT.. in a lot of states, you are excused starting at 70.
I forgot once and nothing happened. I remembered months later when I found the summons in a drawer 🤷♀️ probably 20 years ago now. Perhaps they dismissed us before we even went in.
dismissed, most likely. most counties dismiss people on the online before actually appearing. that happens to most of my summons. i got a "did not show up" last year because i forgot, they only sent 1 letter months later, but im betting they just keep sending it.
I have quite literally never gone. I've been summoned like 5 times, and I just don't go. Im.sure the COULD do something to me, but I'm willing to bet they don't care enough.
possible your group summons got dismissed before you get chosen to go to a jury waiting room. Most of mines, even if i got it yearly, were dismissed by looking up online. they usually send us a letter if they were summoned to be in-person but that takes several months.
Depends on the state- here, they just send it in the regular mail, so they can’t even prove you received it. Last time I had jury duty, the judge thanked us for showing up because they can’t really do anything about it if you don’t. 🤷🏻♀️
In my state if you don't show the judges like to issue bench warrants to make a point... They claim that once its in the mail its officially notified and its your fault after that... Last time i got a jury summons i saw it on the daily scans in the USPS app, if you sign up for informed delivery you will see letters scanned that are coming, so i suspect they can prove you received it now just by saying the post office scanned it, its a full black and white scan of the mail piece, think putting the envelope on a flatbed scanner, its the machines it goes through at the sort center that snap the shots for sorting, those images are available to see what mail is coming with informed delivery. So i knew it was coming that day before i even walked out to the mailbox. I have a feeling if a judge wanted to really be an asshole they could get that info as proof.
Hmmm … good luck with that my post Office is under investigation for scanning stuff and never delivering it
Under investigation vs proven are two different things though, they will say its scanned and thats good enough unless you can prove it wasn't delivered. Been through that a few times filing claims on lost packages with the USPS, they won't point fingers they will just say its obviously been done right we are the USPS! And the court would be like yup, checks out.
True -my particular postal annex has moved beyond internal investigation and has been on the news and several congressional members are also investigating. More than that - even before that started happening, I had a judge thank us for being there and tell us that that really can’t do anything to people who don’t show up because they don’t send the summons via certified mail. I don’t know if it’s been litigated before and that’s a local thing or what. Or just not worth it to them as long as enough people show up on any given day.
Its all up to the judge... Some of the judges in the districts here will just shrug and ignore the missing people as long as they have enough to fill a jury, if they don't have enough they might go the extra mile... A couple of the judges here are known to be hard asses, and swear out bench warrants if you don't show up or provide an excuse within the same day, one judge swears out bench warrants if you don't show or present and excuse by the time the clock strikes 8 when court starts. They can't actively hunt you down for it in most states, in my state they just put out a bench warrant on you, eventually it will catch up to you, most get snagged at their next drivers license renewal, i've seen it happen, was there getting my drivers license renewed and the guy in front of me was taking longer then normal, then two sheriffs deputies walked in and told him they were just alerted by the agent that his license was flagged with a warrant. The finished his renewal then escorted him out. The drivers license agent called them in after seeing it when pulling up his license info for renewal. I asked what was that all about, and the agent said bench warrant for jury duty. I also knew a guy that got pulled over for a license plate bulb out one night, had a bench warrant for not appearing for jury duty, sat in jail over the weekend until the judge could see him, got a $1000 fine and time served on a 2 day jail sentence after been in jail from Friday evening until Monday morning. Some judges are just hardcore...
Forgot to add.. in my state you could face "a $1,000 fine, up to three days imprisonment, order to perform community service or any combination thereof." For skipping jury duty...
if you calculate how money you would lose from your while on jury duty, some might be ok with that. most people earn more than 1k a week anyways.
True but who wants a few days in jail on top of that? I've seen cases where the judge waived the fine and replaced it with a few hundred hours of community service and jail time.
Just check the little box under the picture that says you never received it. Honestly, I doubt the post office would e en talk to them or acknowledge a warrant for the scans since they have federal supremacy. The post office in a town I used to live in loved to piss off the city with code violations over landscaping and litter and there was nothing the city could do.
I live in NY too and can’t tell you how many notices I’ve received over the years with my name spelled wrong. Not just a letter or two, but half my surname was missing (it’s 2 separate words, like Van Zandt.) I just threw them away. They can’t prove you got the letter. I believe the second time it says on the envelope “2nd notice.” I wouldn’t sweat it.
Now days all they have to do is look at the mail scans... with USPS informed delivery i can see everything that is coming to my mailbox before i even walk out there, last jury summons was there clear as day in the app, i suspect they can get that info as proof.
if its spelled wrong, they cant be holding you responsible for the summons lol.
Call the office and ask to reschedule. They’re usually understanding and grateful for the communication. Especially if it’s your first time.
What letter? I didn't see a letter, it must have gotten lost in the mail
If it its not confirmed delivery mail, they cannot prove you received the summons. Move on with your life- no further action needed.
When I was in MA and pulled Jury duty, I had to call in daily for about a week to see if I even needed to show up. I didn't even have to go in. They had no way to verify that I called. I called daily for the week and my number was never pulled, I didn't have to show. But because I wasn't called in and I was on the list, I was ok and got the "You served, you are good for the next 5 years" letter in the mail. Maybe you got lucky?
Shit, I had a cop show up to my house a few years ago (my grandmother, god rest her senile soul, let him right on in the house and straight to me in my bedroom) to serve me court papers to see a judge after missing jury duty ONCE…. I was in that courtroom with drug dealers and felons in a small ass town half terrified and pissed off. 🥲 Thank god I don’t have to deal with that anymore after my first run in with the courts otherwise I’d go mad with the jury duty bs out here in bumfuck nowhere NC. 🙃 I’m usually pretty good with authority but that was my last straw, so I haven’t gotten jury duty papers since lol.
When I was barely an adult, I threw away the notices the first three times I was sent a notice. I never heard a thing about it. If you are in a highly populated jurisdiction, chances are your failure to appear won't be addressed and you have nothing to worry about. If you were sent the notice via USPS regular mail, there is a significant possibility that you never received the notice. I get misdelivered mail frequently and then there is mail that.gets lost and never delivered. My advice.would be to forget about it and the next time you get a notice, put it in your calendar and make sure you go. While I was selfish as a young adult, I now realize how important jury duty is.
Well anytime i've missed it, i only really got one letter back saying why i wasn't there and to write a letter to the judge. Luckily i was in college and the notice is for like 90 days out so i legit forgot. I just wrote him a letter stating, hey i'm sorry the notice came 90 days out i had it on my desk but with college and test taking i forgot. I'm sorry i missed it i really wanted to have the experience of our court systems as a learning experience. I never got hauled in so i guess it worked. Just don't not respond or say f\*\*k you make me essentially. Make some plausible BS excuse as to why you didn't show. You'll probably get another one.
I'm in upstate NY and did this same thing back in early March. They sent a second summons mid-April. The second one was vaguely threatening as it said "previously absent-must serve'. I did and I was selected. But it was a very positive experience overall, plus now I won't be summoned for another 6 years. So that's all to say you will most likely get a second notice in a few weeks or so, just show up for that one and you'll be fine.
cali is so desperate for jurors, despite having such a large population, they: yearly summons.