Lawsuit claiming city exceeded maximum penalty for parking tickets granted class action status
CHICAGO (CBS) -- If you've ever had to pay more than $250 in fines after getting a parking ticket or city sticker violation in Chicago, you could soon get some of that money back.
A lawsuit recently granted class action status accuses the city of violating state law by exceeding the $250 limit on parking ticket fines, often through penalties for late payment.
The attorneys who filed the suit claimed their case already has led to fine reductions from Chicago, and now a judge has granted their case class action status, meaning tens of thousands of vehicle owners could be included.
If you have ever been charged more than $250 for a single parking ticket or sticker violation, you don't need to do anything to join the lawsuit. The city must provide the attorneys with a list of every eligible vehicle owner.
"If they can track you down to make you pay a ticket, they'll be able to track you down to refund the money," attorney Jacie Zolna said.
Zolna and his team will now ask a judge to refund all illegal fines and penalties the city imposed, and they estimate there could be tens of thousands of people who qualify, with the city possibly owing hundreds of millions of dollars to vehicle owners.
It's unclear when a final decision will be made on potential refunds for affected drivers.