Will you go to jail for failure to appear?

Answer 1

Possibly. The court system is designed in nearly every US jurisdiction to give the court power to sanction those who choose not to respect the rules. If you have been properly served with a notice to appear - do so - you can always request the court grant you additional time to respond for good cause (i.e., such as time to find a lawyer). My advice is to find a lawyer in your state.

If you are a defendant in a criminal matter, a bench warrant for your arrest will issue and you may be put in jail until you make bail or are otherwise released.

If you are a plaintiff in a civil matter, you will not face jail but your complaint may be dismissed for lack of prosecution.

If you are a defendant in a civil matter, your Answer may be suppressed and the plaintiff allowed to proceed to try and prove its case as if you had never filed an Answer to the complaint.

If you are a witness under subpoena in a criminal or civil case, a bench warrant may issue and you may be put in jail until you make bail or are otherwise released.

Answer 2

U will lose the court trial

If the case is a civil case and if you are the plaintiff, your complaint will probably be dismissed. If you are the defendant, your answer will be dismissed and the plaintiff will be allowed to go to a proof hearing where evidence supporting the claim against you will be given and if satisfactory to the court, judgment may be entered against you. Sometimes a court will adjourn the matter to find out why you missed the date and reschedule the trial but perhaps make you pay the other side's counsel fees for being there. You will probably have an opportunity to make a motion to reinstate the complaint or vacate the judgment.

If the matter is a criminal matter, the case will be adjourned but a bench warrant for your arrest will be issued. Trial on the charges will not proceed, but if you are arrested on the warrant, you will have to bail yourself out of jail.

Answer 3

No indication is given whether or not this is a traffic case or a criminal case. If you FTA'd on a traffic case you will simply be found guilty en absentia and assessed the fine and points.

If it was a criminal case, you might have a bench warrant out for you. If I were you I'd check wtih the Clerk of Court's office and find out. If so, determine what you have to do take care of it.

Answer 4

Depends on the judge. There is a good possibility that could happen, although if you have a Great reason for failure to appear, you might be able to get out of going to jail.

Answer 5

Yes, failure to appear is a crime in and of itself. How the failure to appear is charged will be determined by the state in question and the charge levels of the underlying case.