New Orleans could be on the hook for $36 million dollars in refunds to drivers fined by the City’s traffic cameras.
A federal judge has refused to dismiss a federal class action lawsuit.
That suit claims the City violated the Constitution by holding on to traffic fines for over two years’ worth of tickets.
In her decision Judge Susie Morgan says plaintiffs do have a claim against the Cantrell administration.
Morgan’s decision specifically says administration violated the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, depriving fined drivers of their civil right.
This isn’t the first loss for the City.
The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate reports the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled the City violated its charter when camera ticket program began in 2008 under the Department of Public Works—which was declared illegal.
Judge Morgan wrote in her decision, “Louisiana law cannot convert the Plaintiffs’ private property in the form of a refund into public property without just compensation."