Cypress, CA asked in Traffic Tickets and Insurance Defense for New York

Q: My mom was unaware that she was uninsured for 8 months. Now geico is trying to back charge her $1200.

Geico says if she doesn’t pay, they will report her to the NY DMV where she will get fined and have her license revoked since her insurance was cancelled before she surrendered her plates. Her insurance was cancelled 10/2018, but her plates weren’t surrendered until 6/2019. She had called geico to change her insurance plan in 10/2018 because she moved to North Carolina. They sent it to NC underwriting, but never followed up. Instead, they cancelled her insurance. She assumed she was still insured by Geico, and even drove cross country to California as an elderly woman for a second move. This will be a “first” offense for noninsurance. No accidents. No points on record. My questions are:

Will she be fined?

If so, how much?

Will her license be revoked? She now holds a California license.

I’m wondering if it is more cost effective for her to be reported and pay the fine. Obviously, if her license will be revoked, this is not an option.

Thanks for your time

1 Lawyer Answer
Zev Goldstein
Zev Goldstein
Answered
  • Traffic Tickets Lawyer
  • New City, NY
  • Licensed in New York

A: This is difficult problem to untangle. There are probably a few more pieces to the puzzle. For instance, was she insured in CA? I can't understand this from your question. Even if she pays the fine, her license would be suspended in NY for around 9 months. Then the questions becomes whether she would be suspended in CA.

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