Aussie mum stunned by $1,700 jury duty fine
A Sydney mum is searching for answers after being hit by a $1,715 fine for missing jury duty that she knew nothing about.
The mum shared that she had just returned from an overseas holiday to find the "hefty" fine, which said she needed pay the overdue penalty by October 9 for failing to attend jury duty for a court case in May, but she claims she had never been summoned.
“I didn’t get this by the due date of October 9. However, I have also never seen the jury notice for May 28 nor any other notices since. So I’m in total and absolute shock,” she posted on social media.
She asked other local mums for advice on getting the fine "ditched", explaining that she hasn't changed her address in decades and checks her mail every day.
“The only mail I’ve received on the matter at all is this fine enforcement notice on return from overseas. It’s very strange. How can I prove I never received the original notice?”
It turns out that the Aussie mum is not the only one who has encountered this, as several other Sydneysiders have been slapped with fines for missing jury duty.
One woman claimed she had no idea she had a $1,000 fine for missing jury duty until she went onto Service NSW to pay a separate bill.
“I had never received or seen a notice regarding jury duty or the associated fine,” she said.
Others urged her to contact Service NSW and explain the error.
“This happened to me a couple of months ago. You just call them and explain what happened. They are very understanding,” one woman said.
“This happened to me in the past. I wasn’t travelling and have been in the same address, just simply didn’t receive the notice to serve jury duty. So I just wrote to them to explain my reason of not attending. They waived my fine,” another noted.
According to the state’s Department of Communities and Justice you can have the fine reviewed if you:
- did attend jury service, or
- did not receive previous notices from the NSW Sheriff’s Office
- had a legitimate reason for not attending jury service
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