Uninsured Motor Vehicle

August 21, 2025

UNINSURED, UNREGISTERED, IMPROPER TURN & NO SEAT BELT CHARGES AVOIDED

On Thursday, June 19, 2025, DT, a 27 year old assembler, drove to the Dunkin store on Rt. 125 in Bradford near the Ward Hill entrance to Rt. 495. When he exited the store there are large signs indicating you cannot make a left turn. DT turned left across the double yellow sign and proceeded north on Rt. 125. Unfortunately for DT there was a Haverhill Police car sitting there watching him. The blues came on and DT got pulled over. He was not wearing his seat belt. The officer took his license and registration and went back to the police car. When the officer ran the registration, he learned that the insuance had been cancelled for non payment of premiums and as a result the registration had been revoked by the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The officer gave DT a citation for the four violations and had the car towed.

To his credit, DT immediately contacted his insurance company and paid the premium due for the insurance. He then went to the RMV and got his registration reinstated. DT requested a hearing. A person receiving a citation (where there is no arrest) has four days to request a hearing to challenge the citation.

DT contacted and retained Attorney Robert Lewin from Andover to represent him. Attorney Lewin immediately contacted DT’s insurance company and obtained a copy of DT’s insurance policy showing that it had been renewed the very same day that he had been stopped by the police. In addition, Attorney Lewin obtained a copy of the new certificate of registration to show that the registration has been reinstated. Lastly, Attorney Lewin obtained a copy of DT’s driver history from the RMV. It was completely clean! He had never got a ticket for anything! Attorney Lewin spoke to the Haverhill Police Prosecutor and furnished the police prosecutor with copies of all the paperwrk that Attorney Lewin had obtained. Attorney Lewin asked the police prosecutor if he would agree to drop the unregistered and uninsured charges. (Operating an Uninsuired Motor Vehicle is a criminal offense that carries with it a loss of your license.)

August 5, 2025

Operating Uninsured Motor Vehicle 5th Offense To Be Dismissed

by Robert D. Lewin

DF, a 48 year old self employed electrician, had four prior oprating uninsured motor vehicle cases when he got stopped by the State Police in Dedham. He had one plate on his vehicle (Masssachusetts requires both a rear and front plate) when he got pulled over. The Trooper ran the one plate and saw that DF’s vehicle was uninsured. The Trooper had the car towed and cited DF for a plate violation and for operating an uninsured motor vehicle. Unfortunately for DF his case was in Dedham District Court. The presiding judge in Dedham treats these motor vehicle charges seriously and is not prone to dismssing them. A conviction carriers a 60 day loss of license – which for DF, a self-employed electrician – would put him out of business. Over a number of months DF appeared in Dedham District Court but he was unable to get a resolution of the case that would not involve him losing his license. Finally, DF sought out and retained Attorney Robert Lewin from Andover to represent him. The Judge kept bringing up the fact that DF had a history of these cases.

On July 31, 2025, DF and Attorney Lewin appeared in Dedham District Court. Attorney Lewin had done his homework and had obtained letters from DF’s Insurance company that showed that DF had in fact had insurance on a number of those prior cases and that in the Dedham case his insurance had been cancelled because of a change in credit cards. And Attorney Lewin was able to show that DF had rectified the insurance issue in the Dedham case the very same day that he was stopped in Dedham. The Judge was pushing DF (and Attorney Lewin) to get DF to plead guilty. Attorney Lewin absolutely refused and pushed back. Ultimately the Judge agreed to continue DF’s case for 3 months and dismiss the case if DF stayed out of trouble. This was NOT a continuance without a finding (which requires an admisdsion of guilt). There was NO admission of guilt or wrongdoing on DF’s part. In three months the case will be dismissed and DF will NOT lose his license.

Attorney Robert Lewin brings to all his cases a level of experience, preparation, and fight that is rarely seen. Attorney Lewin was an Assistant District Attorney from 1972-1975, and for the last 50 years has done nothing but criminal defense. The results he gets for clients speak for themselves.

January 16, 2025

ALL TRAFFIC OFFENSES DISMISSED IN LYNN DISTRICT COURT

by Robert D. Lewin

On December 29, 2023, MF, a 35 year old nursing student, was stopped by the State Police on Route 1 in Saugus. The police cited him for an array of offenses:

Operating an Uninsured Motor Vehicle
Operating a Motor Vehicle After Suspension of the Registration

December 24, 2024

Operating an Uninsured Motor Vehicle and Speeding Charges DISMISSED

by Robert D. Lewin

On October 17, 2024, IS, a 33 year old counselor was stopped in North Andover for speeding and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. IS has a substantial motor vehicle record and a finding against him would have caused his license to be suspended. To his credit, within two days of getting the citation IS got his car insured and got the registration renewed (the police did not charge him with the offense of operating an unregistered vehicle). IS failed to request a clerk-magistrate hearing and a criminal complaint issued against him. IS received a summons in the mail to appear in Lawrence Distrioct Court for an arraignment on Decembedr 20, 2024. IS consulted with and retained Attorney Robert Lewin from Andover.

Attorney Lewin, with assistance from IS, gathered together all the necessary paperwork (the new insurance policy showing that it was purcahsed two days after the incident as well as the new registration certificate). On December 20, 2024 IS and Attorney Lewin went to Lawrence District Court for the arraignment. Attorney Lewin met with the Assistant District Attorney and furnished copies of the new insurance policy and the new registration to the Assistant DA. At Attorney Lewin’s request, the Assistant District Attorney agreed to DISMISS the uninsured motor vehicle charge prior to arraignment and the Assistahnt DA agreed to enter a finding of NOT responsible on the speeding charge. This was the very best of all possible results.

By dismissing the case prior to arraignment this case did NOT go onto IS’s crimimal record. In addition, IS did not suffer any penalty against his driver’s license from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. It was a complete win.

December 18, 2024

BMC Brighton – Warrant Cancelled: All Motor Vehicle Charges DISMISSED Prior To Arraignment.

by Robert D. Lewin

On August 5, 2024, JT, a 40 year old Nurse was living in Cambridge. JT owned a car but was not using it and had it parked in her driveway. In Massachusetts you must have a car registered and insured in order to legally park it in your driveway. The car was in fact insured; however, it was not registered. She had an old set of out of state plates that belonged to her boyfriend. She attached those plates to the car to make it appear as if the car was registered. On the night of August 5, 2024 JT and her boyfriend got into an argument and he left their apartment. JT went out to look for him and fired up the car and drove into Boston looking for him. She got pulled over for speeding by the State Police. That is when the trouble started. The State Trooper ran the plates that were on the car and discovered they came back to another vehicle that did not belong to her. The Trooper ordered her out of the car; had the car towed; and cited her for two criminal offenses (wrongfully attaching plates and operating an uninsured vehicle) and two civil infractions (speeding and operating an unregistered vehicle). JT failed to request a Clerk-Magistrate Hearing (big mistake – as the case probably could have been resolved at a Clerk-Maguistrate Hearing without any charges beuing issued against her). The case was set down for an arraignment on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. JT failed to appear for her arraignment and a warrant for her arrest was issued at Brighton Municipal Court. The Court then notified JT that a warrant for her arrest had been issued by the court.

On Thursday evening, December 12, 2024, JT contacted and retained Attorney Robert Lewin from Andover. The next day, Friday, December 13, 2024, Attorney Lewin obtained copies of the police report and all the court papers. It was immediately obvious to Attorney Lewin that the police had failed to comply with the no-fix ticket law. That law requires the police, among other things, to file the citation with the court within 6 business days of the violation. (Most lawyers have never even heard of the six day rule – but Attorney Robert Lewin knows the rule well and uses it all the time to get cases dismissed.) Over the weekend, Attorney Lewin prepared a Motion to Dismiss ALL the charges against JT due to the police failure to comply with the six day rule.

On Tuesday, December 17, 2024, Attormey Lewin and JT appeared in Boston Municipal Court – Brighton Division. Attorney Lewin had his Motion to Dismiss all prepared and ready to file at Court. First, however, Attorney Lewin went down to the District Attorney’s Office to speak with the Assistant District Attorney. Attorney Lewin had documents to show that the car was now fully registered and insured (and that it was insured on the date JT was pulled over). Attorney Lewin explained to the Assistant DA that JT had no crimimal record, that she was a nurse, and that she was now enrolled in a graduate (Masters) degree nursing program. The Assistant DA told Attorney Lewin that the Commonwealth would agree to the warrant being cancelled, the two criminal charges being DISMISSED prior to arraignment, and that findings of NOT responsible could be entered on the two civil violations. It was a complete and total win – and Attorney Lewin never took the Motion tio Dismiss out of his briefcase!

September 3, 2016

Uninusured and Unregistered Charges Dismissed

by Robert D. Lewin

CJ, a 23 year old chef from Andover, was driving home from work when the North Andover Police ran a random license plate check on his vehicle. The check came back that the registration had been revoked for insurance cancellation for non-payment of premiums. The police pulled CJ over. He told them he was unaware that the registration was revoked and he was unaware that the insurance had been cancelled. The police took the plates off the car and issued CJ a citation. CJ did not request a Clerk-Magistrate hearing. That was a mistake as the case could have been resolved by a clerk-magistrate without any criminal summons being issued against CJ. CJ received a summons to appear for an arraignment in Lawrence District Court.

CJ consulted with Attorney Robert Lewin in North Andover. Attorney Lewin explained that a conviction for operating an uninsured motor vehicle carried with it a mandatory loss of license for 60 days. CJ retained Attorney Lewin. One thing CJ had done right was to get the car insured and registered immediately after getting pulled over. Attorney Lewin had CJ furnish to Attorney Lewin a copy of the new registration along with a copy the new insurance policy. Attorney Lewin met with the Assistant District Attorney and showed the paperwork to the Asst. DA. On September 1, 2016 CJ and Attorney Lewin appeared in Lawrence District Court for CJ’s arraignment. The DA agreed to Attorney Lewin’s request to dismiss both the unregistered and uninsured charges. All the charges were dismissed. CJ left Lawrence District Court a happy man.