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Robolawyer Files Appeals

posted by Fnord666 on Thursday July 13 2017, @12:43PM   Printer-friendly
from the queue-the-lawyer-jokes-in-3-2-1 dept.

looorg writes:

A chatbot-"ai"-lawyer keeps filing appeals against parking tickets and similar minor offenses. The author claims it has defeated an estimated 375,000 parking tickets by now -- defeated or appealed? Is every appeal a sure win with this bot-created-paperwork? Do people even contact lawyers to fight parking tickets? Isn't the lawyer fee almost always going to be higher than the fine? Sure, it might be about the good fight and standing up for what is right, etc. but still.

After reading the story I'm still unsure what the actual AI part of the chatbot is, it seems to just be one big decision-tree. But I guess that doesn't get as much press as claiming you have invented a lawyer-AI.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/12/15960080/chatbot-ai-legal-donotpay-us-uk

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 13 2017, @05:39PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 13 2017, @05:39PM (#538777)

    let's face it, this is largely a bluff - most people don't want to show up in court

    If you request a trial but don't show up to it, the court can uphold the ticket, and may be likely to. Moreover, the court may charge a fee for holding the trial.

    I don't see the point in just sending a letter saying that you intend to contest a ticket, but not actually contesting it. That sounds ineffective.

  • (Score: 2) by MrGuy on Thursday July 13 2017, @06:59PM

    by MrGuy (1007) on Thursday July 13 2017, @06:59PM (#538812)

    Unless you're expecting the "AI" to show up in court and argue for you, that's exactly what you're doing by sending the letter DoNotPay generates.

    The letter (at least the one I generated - YMMV) expressly requests a hearing, but adds the REQUEST that the municipality drop the matter rather than go through the expense of a trial. If you send this letter (unless you really do want to fight it out in court on constitutional grounds - in that case, I wish you the best!), you're PROBABLY hoping the city will weight the cost of the trial vs. what they can get from you, and voluntarily drop the citation (as the letter explicitly requests).

    That's pretty much a textbook bluff. The sender asks for a trial they will likely lose at in the hope that they make it too much of a hassle for the other side to pursue. If the hearing gets scheduled, guess what? You're likely paying the fine AND the court costs.