Illinois Appeals Court Rules Chicago Slapped Drivers With Illegally High Fines for Years

A plaintiff in the class-action lawsuit says he had to declare bankruptcy after Chicago dumped $20,000 of ticket debts on him.

Chicago has been hitting motorists with illegally high fines for years for not having up-to-date vehicle stickers, a state appellate court ruled Friday.

The Illinois First District Appellate Court found that Chicago has been flouting a state law that caps the amount it can fine drivers through its administrative court system at $250. The ruling came in a class-action lawsuit challenging the city’s notoriously punitive ticketing regime, especially for vehicle stickers, which cost nearly $100 to renew every year and carry stiff fines for failing to keep them up to date.

“For far too long the city has used ticket fines to raise revenue at the expense of our most vulnerable citizens,” Jacie Zolna, a lawyer representing the Chicago residents in the lawsuit, said in a press release. “Today’s ruling is a victory for all working people in Chicago who have been unfairly burdened with the city’s expensive and out of control ticketing.” – READ MORE