I have a legal situation I am hoping you obtain some guidance on, as I am now at a loss for a resolution.
I was served in small claims for alleged purchases made at a small shop. The person who went into the shop had my ID (which was stolen out of a car months prior to the alleged purchase), and used fake credit cards to purchase materials. The purchase went through, the suspect left with the machines, and later, the shop was contacted by the financial institutions of the people who owned these credit card numbers, stating they would not fill in the payment as these were fraudulent purchases.
Please note, after my car was stolen, I reported my ID stolen in my police report and insurance affidavit, and obtained a new license. The new ID actually was issued before this alleged purchase.
In small claims, the shop owner's mother was there, and she was the person who dealt with the transaction. She is claiming it was me in the store that day.
I was not there, but I was at work, and a witness from my job was ready to affirm that I was there that day.
The judge did not want to hear from my witness, and since I was on remote appearance, he required me to come into court so he could see me.
Ultimately, he claimed that he wanted to find out whether I was the person who went into that store. I made it clear to the judge that the ID the plaintiff presented in court was indeed my ID, and that my ID was stolen, and that it was definitely not me who made the purchases.
I even went as far as providing the judge with my Google Timeline, step by step on where I went the entire day of question.
My witness was on the call, and he did not bother asking to speak with them.
We went back and forth a few times until he told me that if I didn’t agree to come in, he would award the judgment to the plaintiff. My perspective was not that I do not want to come in, but I did not understand how this would achieve the purpose of providing whether or not it was me that day.
The plaintiff’s mother processed the transactions that day using five different cards! It was obviously a case of fraud. Now, the mother is claiming it was me. She said that at the time of the purchase, she ensured the person in the store had the same picture on the ID.
What more can I do here? I have a letter signed by my employer stating that I was at work that day, and I had them on the call waiting to affirm this.
I am hoping there is something I have yet to consider that can help my case.
I have a gut feeling that the judge may not be able to conclude that I am telling the truth unless he physically sees me. The plaintiff alleges that they do have security cameras, but that the footage expired in 30 days, but they were notified about the fraud 10 days after the alleged purchase.
It seems so obvious to me that someone who is going to perpetrate fraud won’t use their ACTUAL ID, which has their picture and address and can be traceable. It really makes no sense.
Any legal advice would greatly be appreciated, as I have time to submit more evidence before the next appearance where I have to be there in person.
Thanks.