A multi-million dollar settlement has been reached between the city of Chicago and “motorists who received tickets from the city’s controversial red light camera system.” Though the settlement is still awaiting final approval from city council, it is expected to pay out “$39 million to people who received and/or paid red light camera tickets.” According to the settlement, $27 million will be issued in the form of refunds, while the other $12 million will be in the form of “debt forgiveness for those who did not pay the ticket.”
A multi-million dollar settlement has been reached between the city of Chicago and “motorists who received tickets from the city’s controversial red light camera system.” Though the settlement is still awaiting final approval from city council, it is expected to pay out “$39 million to people who received and/or paid red light camera tickets.” According to the settlement, $27 million will be issued in the form of refunds, while the other $12 million will be in the form of “debt forgiveness for those who did not pay the ticket.”
The lawsuit was first filed by Attorney Jacie Zolna on behalf of motorists who claimed they had not “received proper notice of their red light and speed camera violations.” Because so many people joined in on the class action lawsuit, Zolna said this “settlement is a big deal.” He also touched on provisions included in the settlement by saying “The 1.5 million tickets that are subject to the suit – the city has agreed that they won’t use those tickets for purposes of booting cars or revoking driver’s licenses. To me, that’s a big deal.”
As for how soon qualifying drivers can expect a refund? Well, Zolna believes it will take about three months to notify all of the drivers by mail. “After filling out paperwork, a check could come sometime in 2018.”
Critics of the controversial Red Light Program are pleased with the settlement, though some, like Alderman Anthony Beale, wonder where the money will come from to pay the settlement. When asked about the program itself, Beale said, “I told you so. If you can recall years ago, I said the whole red light camera issue was more about revenue than it was about public safety.” He added, “It’s unfortunate that, that amount of money needs to be paid out, but my question now is where the heck are we going to get that kind of money from?”
So what does the city have to say for itself, if anything? Well, the Corporations Counsel released the following statement:
“The Law Department has diligently defended against this litigation, but given certain rulings from the courts and the risk of a judgment against the City in excess of $250 million, we believe this resolution is in the best interests of the taxpayers. While the City continues to believe it has strong legal defenses to these claims, we are recommending the City Council approve the proposed settlement to protect taxpayers from significant financial exposure.”
Another group, Citizens to Abolish Red Light Cameras, has also filed its own lawsuit against the city regarding the Red Light Program, and are hopeful that this recent settlement agreement means theirs will be settled as well.
Sources:
Red Light Camera Lawsuit Reaches A Settlement To Be Approved By City Council
City reaches $38.75 million settlement in red light ticket lawsuit
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