CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Michael Tock was driving through Stone Park last July at the intersection of Mannheim Road and Lake Street.
He didn’t stop at the white line before making a right hand turn, but did stop just inches past it.
Still, he was issued a $100 red light camera ticket.
Now, Tock is the plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the village of Stone Park which claims the red light camera ticket violates state law.
“It expressly prohibits Stone Park and other municipalities from using automated traffic law enforcement systems to issue violations in such instances where the motor vehicle comes to a complete stop and does not enter the intersection, even if the motor vehicle stops at a point past the stop line or crosswalk or a driver is required to stop,” attorney Robert Fioretti told WBBM Newsradio.
According to the complaint, if a motorist contests the ticket, Stone Park dismisses the citation.
However, Fioretti said he believes in most cases, drivers simply pay the $100 penalty to the village.
“We believe, also, that in the last 18 months, Stone Park has collected over $670,000 in erroneous red light camera tickets from this practice in policy,” Fioretti said.
The lawsuit asked that the tickets be deemed invalid and that Stone Park refund the money that’s been paid by drivers who fit the same criteria as Tock.
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