ABOUT US
At Skeleton Key Legal we are Christian Constitutional advocates who root out and address constitutional violations being committed in the courts of Tennessee against its citizens. At this time, our focus is singular in nature, addressing violations against the Tennessee State Constitution Article IV § 14 concerning court ordered fines in excess of $50.00. Having been through the court system ourselves, suffering this injustice plus many more, we want to assist others in getting their money back when they have been wrongfully overfined.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
By law, courts in the state of Tennessee are not allowed to assess and order fines in excess of $50.00, according to the Tennessee State Constitution, Article IV § 14, except for the following reason. If fines are in excess of $50.00, they must be determined by a jury at the time of judgment. This is typically not the situation, and fines are routinely set by the judge in the vast majority of court cases. If your fines were not ordered by a jury, but rather a judge, keep reading.
There are numerous fines assessed in Tennessee courts for everything from DUI to FTA (failure to appear). There are fines for misdemeanors and felonies, and they range in amount from $50.00 to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the nature of the offense.
We have successfully helped numerous individuals get the money they paid in fines back from the court by helping them file a motion for the return of their money. Regardless of how long ago you paid your fines, there is no statute of limitation time barring the return of your money from the court.
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU
You may wonder how this can happen and why no one knows about it? How can courts impose fines in opposition to state law? We will just say there is a lot done in court that people think falls under the law that does not. To counter this, it takes someone who knows how to research state laws, constitutional and statutory, how to write court motions that adhere to required standards of the court for acceptance, and someone who can use relevant case law to support their argument. You would think this would be your lawyer, but you are wrong. Lawyers are officers of the court and make their living in that system, so sorry if you believed they had your best interests as their motivation for representing you. Who you need is someone who has been exactly where you are, and suffered the same injustice of excessive fines, but figured out how to fight it. That is where we come in and offer to you a service to help you retrieve the money you lost to court fines. (Disclaimer: we are not lawyers and we do not give legal advice. We are advocates who assist you in understanding what your rights are according to the law, and how to represent yourself with the filing of a motion)
Our service is simply this: we take your information and write a motion specifically for your case using state law and relevant, applicable case law to support the argument for the return of your money. You will file this motion in the court where your fines were ordered. We will give you detailed instructions on everything you need to do. We charge $200.00 for our service, with a money back guarantee if your motion is denied (we can advise you further if that happens, but it is unlikely to be the case). Now obviously to make this worth your while, your fines need to be in excess of $200.00, unless you just want to stick it to the state and get your money back from them and pay us! So if you’re interested in getting your money back, the next section on required documents will advise you as to what we need from you.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FROM YOU
You will be required to obtain the following list of documents and then mail them to us for processing. You will not be charged until we review your documents and determine that we can help you.
Documents list:
- Copy(copies) of original court order(s) for fines with the case number(s). If you do not have it, go to the court clerk’s office at the court where your fines were ordered and request a copy. You will probably have to pay a small amount for each page (example: 50 cents/page), so take cash with you. You have a legal right to this information and they must give it to you. Be nice, but get what you need.
- Copy(copies) of proof of payment of fines. If you don’t have it, same as above, request it from the clerk’s office.
- If you are currently paying fines, proof of the amount already paid and what is remaining to be paid. For example, you have $1,000 in fines and you have paid $300, you still owe $700. When you win your case, you will get your $300 back, plus have the $700 cancelled. In a case like this, our $200 fee saves you $800 of your $1,000 fines.
- Once you have the documents showing what you were ordered to pay, proof of the payment of fines, or proof of what you have paid and what is still owed, you will mail those documents to:
Skeleton Key Legal
P.O. Box 443
Rockwood, TN 37854
Be sure to put your name and return mailing address on the envelope.
FINAL STEPS
- You will also need to email us by filling out the contact form under contact us on this website with a message that you have mailed your documents, and/or if you have any questions. Please include your contact phone number and specify if cell or landline. We will contact you through a text to a cell phone, or call to a landline, and an email to you once we have received your documents, and again when your motion is ready to be mailed to you and payment to be made. Depending on the number of cases we are working on, it may be processed quickly or take up to 2 weeks.
- You will not have to pay until we create your motion, and the only form of payments we accept at this time are Cashapp, money order or cashier’s check. If you do not have a Cashapp account, you will need to set one up. There are videos on Youtube advising how to do that, and you can download the app from apple app store, or google playstore. Once you open the app, follow the directions. You do not have to link it to a bank account or credit card and can skip that section of set up. You can simply deposit cash at many different locations, such as Dollar General, onto your account. It’s very easy to use. If you opt to use a money order or cashier’s check, we advise you to mail it certified and insured because we are not responsible for a lost payment. Keep your receipts and track your letter so that you know it has arrived. This will add a small amount of cost to your process, as well as adding time in the mail to us, but choose whatever method works for you. Once we have your payment, we will mail your motion with step by step instructions for filing it to you by certified mail. Certification gives us proof of your receipt of the document.
- Once you file your motion, be prepared for it to take up to 6-8 weeks to hear back from the court telling you the status of your motion and when to expect your money. Most of Tennessee’s courts are circuit courts and only operate in your area on a rotating basis. You need to understand once you file you will not receive your money back the next week, dealing with the courts is a process, which you are already acquainted with.