I received a letter for a $45 parking ticket from 2009 from the City of Fort Worth. What should I do?

In 2009 I loaned my vehicle to family members from out of state who wanted to do a roadtrip across Texas. A few weeks after they finished their trip, I get a parking ticket in the mail for City of Fort Worth. They said t hey never had a parking ticket on the windshield and always paid the meter. I believe them 100%. Nevertheless, when my husband went to Fort Worth on business in ’09, I had him go by the address I found online and pay the ticket. He says he thinks he gave them cash (this was in 2009). Last week I get a menacing letter from a group of attorneys stating that the $45 was never paid. First, we did pay (even though no proof that a ticket even existed). Second, it’s been 7 years, who keeps receipts that long. Third, isn’t there a Statute of Limitations on parking tickets for such measly amounts of money? As a matter of principal, I refuse to pay the ticket twice as we weren’t even convinced we owed it the first time. Plus we never go to Fort Worth, so should we even care?

Traffic Lawyer Richard Simon’s Answer

could cause a warrant to be created, then it will cost more than $45.00.