How to Write a Letter for Not Being Able to Attend Court

Preparing to Write the Letter

Understand the consequences of missing court. It is very important to make all scheduled court hearings. Failure to appear can carry many negative consequences. For example, if you are scheduled to appear at a trial, then a default judgment could be entered against you. With a default judgment, the other party wins because you didn’t show up to court. You can sometimes get default judgments set aside, but it usually takes a considerable amount of work. In traffic court, failure to appear could result in you receiving a fine, having your license being revoked, or possibly being arrested.

Determine if a letter is appropriate. Not all courts will accept a letter. Instead, the court might grant a continuance over the phone, or the court could require that you have a representative appear before the judge in your place. As soon as you realize that you can’t make a court date, you should immediately call the court clerk to talk about your situation. Some courts have strict deadlines for granting continuances. For example, in California divorce cases, you need to request the continuance no later than five business days before the scheduled court date.

Get supporting documentation. If you can’t attend a court date, then you should try to document the reason why. For example, you might have suffered a debilitating injury or your supervisor wouldn’t let you off from work because of an emergency. If you can document the extenuating circumstances, then you will make yourself more sympathetic to the judge.

Call the other side. If you need to miss a court date, then you should also inform the other side in the lawsuit. In some courts, you need the other party’s consent to get a continuance. If you cannot secure it, then you will need to file a motion in the court to ask for a continuance.

Consider hiring an attorney. You have the option of hiring an attorney to make an appearance in court for you. The attorney will relay whatever information you were intending to tell the judge at the hearing. Alternately, an attorney can ask the judge for an extension and cite your personal difficulties. If you are in a bind and don’t have time to send a letter, then you should contact a lawyer immediately. You can find a lawyer by calling your state’s bar association, which should run a referral program. You can find the phone number to your bar association by typing “your state” and “bar association” into a search engine. An attorney will charge to make an appearance. It could cost you a couple hundred dollars for even a brief appearance. However, if you miss the court appointment and the judge issues a bench warrant for your arrest or imposes some other sanction, then you might end up spending even more than that in legal fees to clean up the mess. An attorney can be a good investment.

Writing the Letter

Insert your address and the date. After opening up a blank word processing document, you should insert your name, address, and the date in a block. This block can be left-justified or right-justified. You should try to type the letter, as it looks more professional than a handwritten letter.

Add the judge’s name and address. Two lines down from the date, you should insert the judge’s name and his or her address at the court. If you do not know this information, then you should call the court clerk and ask for it.

Open the letter with a salutation. Two lines below the judge’s address, insert “Dear Judge [Name]”. You can also type, “The Honorable Judge [Name]” instead. Instead of addressing the letter to the judge, you may have been instructed to send the letter to a clerk or another member of the court’s staff. You can address the letter to that person by using, “Dear Mr. [Name]” or “Dear Ms. [Name].” If you weren’t given a staff member’s name, then simply address the letter to “Dear Clerk of Court.”

Explain why you will miss the court date. Begin the body of the letter two lines down from the salutation. Explain the extenuating circumstances that will force you to miss court. For example, you might have pressing medical needs to attend to, or you may have lost a family member recently. Whatever the reason, try to be brief. “I am writing to request a continuance for my hearing scheduled on October 12, 2015. Unfortunately, an unforeseen medical emergency has confined me to the hospital for the next several weeks. The diagnosis of extreme pneumonia surprised me, and I would not have missed my court date but for the illness.”

Mention any supporting documentation. For example, if you have become hospitalized, then you should mention that fact and state that you are including a copy of your medical record with the letter. Do not send originals of any document, as they will not be returned. Sample language could be: “I was admitted to the hospital on September 22, 2015, as is shown by the copy of my hospital records attached.”

Request a new court date. You should also request a new court date. Make sure it is a date that you are absolutely certain you can attend. Judges may forgive one missed court date, but two or more could land you in hot water.

Conclude the letter. In the final paragraph, thank the judge or court clerk for their understanding. Also add your contact information, including a phone number. Sample language might be: “Thank you for your understanding. I appreciate how much of an inconvenience this is. If you have any questions, you can reach me at [insert phone number] or at the address printed above.”

Add your name. Two lines below the conclusion, type “Sincerely,” and space down four or five lines before typing your name. Sign the letter in blue or black ink.

Filing a Motion for a Continuance

Understand motions. Unlike letters, motions are formal documents submitted to the court. Copies are sent to the other parties in your lawsuit, who might have an opportunity to respond. If the court does not accept letters, then you might have to file a formal motion to ask for your continuance.

Ask for a form. Some courts have blank motion forms. You simply fill in the blanks and then submit the motion to the court. You should ask the court clerk if a blank motion form is available for you to use. Maricopa County, Arizona, for example, has a blank motion form available for download at http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/sscdocs/pdf/gn10f.pdf. You should only use blank motion forms if they have been created by your court. Otherwise, you must create your own motion.

Draft your own motion. Open a blank word processing document and set a comfortable font and type size (e.g. Times New Roman 12 point). At the top of the page, insert the header information. The header information consists of the court’s name at the very top, the names of the parties on the left, and the case number on the right. You can find the header information from another motion or pleading filed earlier in your case.

Title the motion. Underneath the header information, you can insert the motion’s title in all caps, bold. You should title your motion “Motion for a Continuance.” If the court date is fewer than five business days away, then you should title the motion “Emergency Motion for a Continuance.”

Introduce yourself and ask for the continuance. In the first paragraph, you should state your name, whether or not you are representing yourself “pro se,” and that you are requesting a continuance. Also identify yourself as the plaintiff or defendant. Sample language could read, “NOW COMES Plaintiff Joanna Keys, representing herself “pro se,” and asks this Court for a continuance of the hearing scheduled for November 10, 2015 at 1:30 PM. In support of the motion, Plaintiff states:”

Explain why you need the continuance. In the second paragraph, lay out the facts explaining why you cannot make the court date. As you would in a letter, you should refer to any documentation in support of your motion. Unlike in a letter, however, you need to refer to yourself in the third person. List all relevant facts in numbered form. For example, the facts can be laid out like this: “1. The status hearing is scheduled for November 10, 2015 at 1:30 PM.” “2. Plaintiff Joanna Keys was recently admitted into the hospital on November 1, 2015.” “3. According to her medical diagnosis (see attached Exhibit A), she has….”

Conclude with a prayer for relief. In the final paragraph, ask the court for the continuance again. You could type, “WHEREFORE, Plaintiff Joanna Keys respectfully requests that the above-entitled action be removed from its present hearing date of November 10, 2015.”

Add a signature block. Two lines below the conclusion, you should type “Respectfully submitted” and then type your name underneath. A few lines below that, you should add your signature. Beneath the signature, include your contact information (address, phone number, telephone, and email). Have the motion notarized, if necessary. Depending on your court, you may need to sign the motion in front of a notary. If you needed to notarize the other motions in your case, then you should have this one notarized as well. Notaries may be found in most courthouses and large banks. To find a notary, you can visit the American Society of Notaries website and use their search engine.

File the motion. Make several copies of the motion and take them all with you to the court clerk’s office. Tell the court clerk that you want to file the original. Have the clerk stamp the other copies as well.

Serve a copy on the other party. You probably will need to serve the other party with a copy of your motion. However, some courts do not require that notice be given if the motion is an emergency motion (i.e., filed fewer than five business days before the court date). You should ask the court clerk if service is necessary. Also ask about acceptable methods of service. If you need to make service, then attached a “Certificate of Service” to the motion. The certificate can be on a separate piece of paper. You can create it before going to the court to file. If you find out that you don’t need to make service, then you can remove that sheet from your packet. For the certificate of service, you can type something like the following: “I hereby certify that a true and correct copy of the above and foregoing was served on all parties or their counsel of record on [add the date] in accordance with the [state] Rules of Civil Procedure.” Then type and sign your name above it.

Making a Phone Appearance

Determine if a personal appearance is required. If you are unable to attend a court hearing in-person, you might consider requesting a phone appearance instead. With a phone appearance, you will call in to court on the day of your hearing and participate as required. In some states (e.g., California), phone appearances are favored in order to promote court access. Therefore, in a state like California, you should have no trouble making a phone appearance unless a personal appearance is required by law. In California, a personal appearance is required for the following: Trials, hearings, and proceedings at which witnesses are expected to testify; Hearings on temporary restraining orders; Settlement conferences; Trial management conferences; Hearings on motions in limine; and Hearings on petitions to confirm the sale of property under the Probate Code.

Fill out the required form. If you think you qualify to make a telephone appearance, find the required court form online and fill it out. You should be able to access court forms on your local court's website. If you are unable to find the required court form online, go to your courthouse in-person and ask for help. In California, the court form can be found online. The form will ask you for your personal information and information about the case you are a part of.> Most importantly, you will be asked to explain why you are requesting a telephone appearance. Valid reasons include: Not residing in California; Being disabled; Being the victim of domestic violence; or Being incarcerated.

File the form and pay the required fee. After completing your form, you will take it to the court where your current case is pending. You will take it to the clerk of courts and have it filed. In general, you must file your request a certain number of days before the applicable hearing. In California, you must file your request no later than 12 days before the hearing. In addition, once you file your request, you will be required to pay a filing fee. In California, the fee is $86.00 for each telephone appearance. If you cannot afford the fee, you may be able to request a fee waiver. In general, you will have to be able to convince the court of your inability to pay the required fee. To do this, submit pay stubs, bank statements, and statements of public benefits.

Notify the other party. Every party in your case must be served with your request in a timely manner so they may respond. To serve the other party, you will need to have someone other than yourself personally deliver your request to the other party. You can also serve the other party through the mail. Once the other party has been served, you will file a proof of service with the court, which simply states you have notified everyone of your request.