| r505Matt said: I usually find these threads amusing to read through but this is just getting sad. A) Saying he spent donation money on this trip is ridiculous. Most people his age can't afford the legal battle he's fighting, but they might be able to afford a vacation. The amount of money needed for a vacation is not even close to the amount needed for the case. To those who believe he is using donation money, you have no proof, you are just assuming. B) Either learn some things about US law, or don't talk about it. If you haven't been arrested, or better put, if a warrant for your arrest hasn't been issued, you can leave the country whether the charge is civil or criminal. In the case of the criminal charge though, an arrest warrant will be issued if you miss your court date. This is mostly for DUI and traffic violations since you won't necessarily be arrested, but they are criminal charges, albeit minor ones. If you miss a civil court date, you don't automatically lose. The case will just proceed as if you weren't there. Yes, this usually means you will just lose, but if the judge thinks the plaintiff's case is weak, you really might not have to show up. And actually, his lawyers might be able to just go ahead without him, I'm not entirely sure on that. But at least I'm admitting that and not just spewing out what I think is right. http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/criminal-defense/crime-penalties/failure-appear-court.htm
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I missed a court date by less than 5 minutes and was locked out of the room. Luckily, the lawyer that I had hired for a different case was in the room and got an extension for me. As long as you have some kind of representative in a criminal case, that's what matters, you can even have a family member appear for you and ask for an extension as long as they have a valid reason (the judge has to be in a good mood to actually get it though). Civil cases will go on without you, you just won't be able to testify on your own behalf, the rules are much different.
