Tailgating Misdemeanor Tickets

College Football Season: Tailgating Misdemeanor Tickets

The college football season has started and with that students are being ticketed while tailgating.  Whether you’re studying at Wayne State University, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan or another Michigan college, these tickets are very common but they should be taken seriously.  Even a single conviction on your record can have an impact on your future employment and educational opportunities.

Individuals may be charged with Tailgating Misdemeanor Tickets due to tailgating activities including Minor in Possession of Alcohol, open intox, assault, and Urinating in Public.  One of the most common is Minor in Possession of Alcohol.   The exact crime you are charged with depends on the location you are when you are ticketed but all have serious consequences including fines and possible jail time.

Civil infraction tickets may also be handed out for handling open containers of alcohol.  Open bottles and cans of alcohol are sometimes permitted on certain campuses during football games, however if you step off of campus or have an open container other than on game day, you may be written a ticket.  It is important to know the rules in your area because, even though civil infraction tickets are typically not associated with jail time, tickets for handling an open container of alcohol can be costly.

If you have been written a ticket while tailgating,

Charged with a Tailgating Misdemeanor Tickets: Don’t take a risk on your rights—call one of our criminal defense attorneys at (248) 398-7100  for a free consultation or contact us with a private message, we can help you put this in your past quickly, so you can move on with your life.

For information about specific charges see the links below:

Looking for a Troy Michigan Same Sex Divorce Attorney? We can help.

Has the State of Michigan made it difficult for you to obtain a divorce?  Previously it was difficult to obtain a same sex divorce in this state.  This was because couples would generally marry in another state and move back to Michigan.  However, since Michigan recognized gay marriages as void ad initio, they would not consider there to be jurisdiction to issue a divorce.  This left people with the option to set up residency in other states in order to qualify to file for divorce jurisdictionally, which takes 60-90 days and an intent to reside there indefinitely.

Fortunately for these couples, the recent United States Supreme Court ruling Obergefell v. Hodges mandated that all state governments recognize gay marriage.  This is not only good for unmarried gay couples in Michigan, as they now have that option, but also for gay couples trying to legally obtain a divorce without jumping through legal hoops and disrupting their lives and those of their children.

Divorce is always a last resort, but for some families it is simply the only option and often what’s best for both parents to keep a healthy relationship with the children.  The previous process was abusive to couples seeking a divorce not only because of the difficulty of attempting to claim residency elsewhere, or incredibly long period of time it took to do so, but the strain on the personal lives of everyone involved and the damage done to a relationship that could have been maintained on good terms the process were more civil.

The difficulty of the process was the product of legal technicalities and inconsistencies.  A couple getting divorced can only do so through the state government of which they claim residency.  If a gay couple were married in another state and then moved to Michigan, their residency would change to Michigan but the state would not recognize their marriage because the state constitution forbade it.  Because the state did not recognize their marriage, they could not issue a divorce because technically the marriage didn’t exist.  This is what would force couples to claim residency elsewhere, a process that can have a tremendous strain on the personal, professional, and family lives of those involved.

However, this is no longer the case.  Now that the State of Michigan recognizes gay marriages, they also will issue divorces for those couples with no other option.  Although the process has become easier, it is still important for those seeking divorce to obtain an attorney.  Divorce law can be difficult to navigate, and it is vital to a party to have an experienced attorney guiding you through the process.  If you are facing a divorce in the State of Michigan,

Looking for a Troy Michigan Same Sex Divorce Attorney? If you need assistance in these or any area of other family law, read below for more info, call us at (248) 398-7100  for a free consultation or contact us with a private message.

For information on specific family law issues please see:

People v Rea: Drunk Driving Updates with Troy Michigan Expert DUI

Attorneys Recently the Michigan Court of Appeals heard a case involving an individual charged with operating while intoxicated after he drove drunk on his driveway.   In People v Gino Robert Rea, the court determined that the charges of operating while intoxicated pursuant to MCL 257.625 should be dismissed because the defendant was not operating his vehicle in an area generally accessible to motor vehicles.

The court relied heavily on the facts of this case which were that a police officer responding to a neighbor’s complaint watched the defendant back his car out of his detached garage about 25 feet before stopping next to his house.  He then pulled his car back up into his garage and was arrested when he was walking back to his home.  His driveway is quite long and the officer admitted that defendant did not pull the car out past the front of his home at any point.

The relevant language of the drunk driving law is as follows, “A… person shall not operate a vehicle upon a highway or other place open to the general public or generally accessible to motor vehicles, including an area designated for the parking of vehicles…if the person is operating while intoxicated.”

The court found that the defendant’s actions in this case did not violate this statute as the upper portion of the Defendant’s private driveway is not an area that is “generally accessible to motor vehicles”.  Rather, this area of a driveway is a place that is only accessible to a small group of vehicles: namely the homeowner or his or her guests.

Importantly, the court noted that another set of facts could yield a different outcome.  Specifically, the court postulated that the bottom of a private driveway may be an area that qualifies as a “place open to the general public” or a place “generally accessible to motor vehicles.”  Therefore, someone driving on the bottom portion of the driveway near the road could possibly be charged with operating while intoxicated.

Overall, this case stands for the idea that the area at the top of the driveway is not an area that is open to the general public or generally accessible to motor vehicles so homeowners driving in this area cannot be charged with operating while intoxicated.  However, the question of whether the area at the bottom of the driveway is open to the general public has not been decided.  Homeowners should take care to avoid driving at all when under the influence of alcohol, including on the area at the bottom of the driveway.

If you have been charged with operating while intoxicated or “drunk driving”, contact the Troy Michigan Expert DUI Attorneys of Garmo & Kiste, PLC at (248) 398-7100 for a free consultation or contact us with a private message.   This is an intricate area of law and it is best to consult with experienced attorneys such as ours to ensure your case is handled properly.

For information about specific charges see the links below:

Do you need an attorney to help with a Michigan National Collegiate Student Loan Trust lawsuits? We can Help.

Are you being sued by National Collegiate Trust or Shermeta law group of Rochester / Troy Michigan for past due student loans? If so, you are not alone. Michigan National Collegiate Student Loan Trust lawsuits have become increasingly common as National Collegiate Trust has been aggressively pursuing delinquent student loans from many former students in the State of Michigan.

National Collegiate Student Loan Trust is a Delaware Trust that holds private student loans guaranteed by TERI not the federal government. National Collegiate Trust purchases these private loans from the original lenders. National Collegiate Student Loan Trust Is not the originator of the loan but rather they have purchased the loan from your lender. The originators are well known banks, among others:

These loans were structured with the assistance of the First Marblehead Corporation. The First Marblehead Corporation is an education loan finance company that  owns TERI. The Education Resources Institute, Inc. (TERI), is a nonprofit organization that claims to be the largest private student loan guarantor in the US.

They expect that you will not do anything if you are sued by them. If you do not act on this lawsuit, a default judgment will likely be issued against you and you will most likely owe the full amount. National Collegiate Trust will try to collect the judgment against you through garnishing your bank accounts, wages, tax refunds, even through property liens and/or seizures.

To avoid Judgments, garnishments, seizures, and other collection activities, contact the attorneys at Garmo & Kiste, PLC at (248) 398-7100 for a free consultation or send us a private message so that we may take action as soon as possible.

If you have questions about Michigan National Collegiate Student Loan Trust lawsuits, or you are being contacted in regards to paying a student loan by National Collegiate Student Loan Trust or Shermeta law group of Rochester / Troy Michigan please contact Garmo & Kiste, PLC at (248) 398-7100 for a free consultation or contact us with a private message.

If National Collegiate Trust or Shermeta law group of Rochester / Troy Michigan is taking legal action against you to collect the debt, you will need an attorney that can navigate the unique legal landscape of debt collection.  The legal process can be confusing and frustrating even when debt collectors conduct themselves legitimately.  The attorneys at Garmo & Kiste, PLC can do just that.  We regularly handle debt collections cases concerning National Collegiate Trust, Shermeta law group of Rochester / Troy Michigan, and other student loan debt collectors and have worked for debt collectors in the past.  This gives us a unique advantage because we understand both sides of litigation.

For more information about National Collegiate Trust or Shermeta law group of Rochester / Troy Michigan and Debt Collection Defense or to retain Garmo & Kiste, PLC, call us at (248) 398-7100 for a free consultation or contact us with a private message.

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