Monterey, CA asked in Contracts and Criminal Law for California

Q: Can I be forced to use my business name rather than my true given name by police?

I registered my legal name with the SOS as a sol proprietorship. I was stopped by police for no license plates on my bike. I don't have a license. when cop asked me for id i told him i don't have one. when i tried to tell him my true and proper christian name he only wanted to know the name I provided on my drivers license application. I told him my given name and my surname at which time he went to his car came back and arrested me. obviously he needed to identify the entity name on an old license and not my true name. Isn't that indentured servitude? I told him I had the assumed name statement but he refused to see it charging me under my business name instead.

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer
Eric J Youngquist
Eric J Youngquist
Answered
  • Criminal Law Lawyer
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Licensed in California

A: First off this scenario is not indentured servitude because answering questions fielded by a police officer hardly equated to any form of slavery . Secondly, providing false information to a police officer investigating your true identity is a crime . Your clue was when officer asked for name on DMV application that should have alerted you to respond accordingly. Police contacts are serious and should be best handled with care and caution so you can protect all your rights and avoid arrest in the future.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.