Kayla Clark of Lawrence is heading to the courthouse in Lawrence County, Tenn. (Photo Jason Clanton)
Mike Harris, Lawrence County sessions court judge
Friday, March 7, 2025 — A homeless mother living in a car charged with “driving without insurance” has a hallway encounter Wednesday with Lawrence County general sessions judge Mike Harris in attempting to file a pleading alleging that the financial responsibility law is being improperly applied to her.
“Even if I say it wrongly, I still think somebody’s got to say it, stand firm,” says Kayla Clark. “So, if I get up there, and I say I shouldn’t have to have insurance because I don’t drive or hire and I wasn’t in an accident” and was not under suspension, she intends to deny that the law applies to her.
Mrs. Clark, 40, pregnant, went with daughter and boyfriend Jason Clanton to the clerk’s office one day before a preliminary hearing. She chances to meet the judge
Impetuously, she tells him her grievance — that the law doesn’t apply to her and that she plans to ask for grand jury review of the charges.
According to Mrs. Clark, mother of six and living a life of troubles, Judge Harris says he will file an order giving her four months to get a driver license, register the car as a motor vehicle and obtain insurance under TFRL, the Tennessee financial responsibility law of 1977. He says he will fine her $10 for the insurance lapse and waive court costs.
This courthouse is in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., a place where oppressions occur as a matter of legal commerce. (Photo Courthouses.co)
The Clark criminal case involves driving without a license, driving an unregistered motor vehicle and driving without proof of financial responsibility, all osstensibly under privilege.
Judge Harris sets July 3 for her return to the court.
He said, how long’s it going to take to get your license? I said, it might take a minute. $175. And the woman [clerk] was like — when he went back there to get my case — she’s like, ‘She’s got other cases she needs to pay for first.’ He said, ‘She told me,’” which, I didn’t, but I was like, ‘Cool!’ So, anyways, he’s like, ‘Come back July the 3rd to show that I have my license, um. I told him I already got the registration for the car. But my insurance, I said, that was something else. He said it would be just a $10 fee. *** He said he wouldn’t want to charge me no court costs.
She says, “Usually in city court they charge $300 for not having insurance.”
Lawrence County is in south central Tennessee.
Mrs. Clark is angry that the program is illegally imposed upon the people of Tennessee. “The issue is, they’re charging people these charges when it’s not a state law. If it’s not a state law that you have to have insurance on a vehicle, whether your for hire or not for hire, people need to know the truth about that.”
She says “Judge Harris is a very fair judge. He tries to give people plenty of time to pay what they need to pay. He ain’t in no rush.”
“In state of Tennessee it is a law that you have to have insurance in case of an accident,” Judge Harris tells Mrs. Clark, she says. This claim is false, but the claim enforce by all state courts apart from statute.
Mrs. Clark says she plans to file a pre-plea remedy and avoidance based on my published analyses of the law.
Draft filing on insurance in sessions court
Homeless woman defies TN auto insurance gag with ’pre-plea remedy & avoidance’
David runs a personal nonprofit fighting and mercy ministry. He thanks you for checks sent directly to c/o 10520 Brickhill Lane, Soddy-Daisy, TN 37379. Also at GiveSendGo.
