Woman Settles $105,000 Parking Ticket Case
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An unemployed single mother reportedly has reached a settlement agreement with the city, after she was issued more than $105,000 worth of parking tickets.
Jennifer Fitzgerald had sued the city, claiming her ex-boyfriend registered a car in her name without her permission, then abandoned it at a parking lot at O'Hare International Airport, where it racked up 678 parking tickets over a two-year period.
Fitzgerald's attorney said the city should have towed the car long before it received that many tickets, but the city insisted she was responsible for all of the fines. The car was not towed until it had been in the same spot at O'Hare for 2 ½ years.
In April, a judge tossed out Fitzgerald's suit, and urged both sides to settle.
According to news reports, the city has agreed to reduce Fitzgerald's bill to $4,470, and Fitzgerald agreed to pay the much lower fine.
Her driver's license has been suspended over the unpaid tickets, and she won't get it back until the reduced fine is paid off. Her ex-boyfriend has agreed to make a $1,600 down payment so she can pay the rest of the fines in monthly installments over the next three years.
