Got a traffic ticket or need to deal with some other aspect of a motor vehicle violation?
Soon, depending on the matter involved, people may be able to resolve these online.
On Oct. 29, the Maine Judicial Branch will roll out the first phase of the court system’s new case management and e-filing system, called Odyssey.
With the advent of e-filing, parties will be able to look up their cases online and pay or take other action on their tickets 24 hours a day, seven days a week, said Elaine Clark, the communications director for the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Currently, contesting a ticket or asking for a postponement must be done by mail or in person at the Court’s Violations Bureau customer service window. Using Odyssey, parties will be able to electronically request a trial, file motions, and upload insurance certificates and vehicle registrations or other documentation, Clark said.
The e-filing option called “Guide and File” will allow these to be done online. The system will guide the user through a series of questions and produce the necessary paperwork.
A new online payment service to pay traffic fines using a debit or credit card will also be available. Currently, individuals can pay traffic fines online or by phone through PayTixx. PayTixx discontinued on Oct. 17. Online payments will be accepted beginning Oct. 29.
From Oct. 17 to Oct. 28, fines may be paid in person only, with cash, certified, or cashiers’ checks between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Violations Bureau window of the Lewiston District Court. Credit or debit card payments will not be allowed. Parties whose licenses have been suspended and who have completed payment, will receive documentation to provide to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Clark said. Reinstatement must be completed by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, as usual.
Clark said during the closure, people may use the postal service, but said the Lewis ton District Court option was devised so that people who wanted their licenses reinstated could get that accomplished with less delay.
For more information on Odyssey, e-filing and fine payment options, go to: http://www.courts.maine.gov/ecourts.
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