A Cook County judge has determined that the city of Chicago has been systematically overcharging residents for city stickers and various parking infractions for over ten years.
This ruling could lead to refunds exceeding $100 million for thousands of Chicago motorists.
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The class-action lawsuit addresses over 1 million tickets issued from 2012 to 2022, with the majority related to city stickers. One of the plaintiffs, Kyle Garchar, claims he received four tickets within a few weeks in 2017 and 2018, amounting to $1,600. He argues this debt ultimately led to the loss of his job as a rideshare driver.
“One day, I logged into the app, and it stated that I couldn’t drive until I paid this fee or resolved my debt with the city of Chicago,” Garchar explained.
Garchar is among thousands of motorists whom the judge found were unfairly overcharged for city stickers and other parking-related offenses.
The legal case hinges on an Illinois statute that limits the city from imposing fines and penalties exceeding $250 for standing, parking, or compliance violations. The lawsuit claims that fines for city sticker violations sometimes reached as high as $400.
“The problem with the city of Chicago is… it can’t help itself when it comes to ticketing revenue,” said Zolna Swetland Attorney Jacie Zolna.
Zolna, the plaintiffs’ attorney, says it has been an eight-year battle in court, and at no point, he says, did the city of Chicago try to settle or compromise on this lawsuit.
“The law department literally gambled with taxpayers’ money, and they lost. And I, just as a taxpayer myself, I’m a Chicago resident, I just find that to be outrageous, that that they would be so careless in handling a financial liability like this for the city, so carelessly?” Zolna said.
Zolna pointed to a November 2022 City Council Finance Committee meeting when a city attorney appears to admit that its ticketing practices were found to be in violation of the state imposed $250 limit.
“It would be illegal for us to fine… to issue these fines under the court’s ruling. So, if we did issue them, we would expose ourselves to litigation,” said City Attorney Mark Siegel.
Garchar says his fines and penalties racked up so quickly, he immediately questioned the legality of the city’s practices. Years later, a judge ruling in his and the class’ favor.
Garchar said, “$1,600 in tickets is… I think, insane, for anyone to experience, and you know, when looking at it, I think I just looked at myself and said, ‘Well this is something worth fighting for.’”
The city of Chicago’s Law Department says it’s evaluating all legal options, including an appeal. However, as attorneys for the plaintiffs point out, an appeal would just go up to the appellate court that ruled against the city three years ago.
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