In this week’s TheNewspaper.com Roundup!
–Iowa Speed Cam Decision –Red-Light Cam Lawsuit moves forward in Chicago –Fl Courts split on Red-Light Cams
Friday, November 4, 2016
Federal Appeals Court Sides With Iowa Speed Cameras
A federal appeals court on Wednesday sided for the most part with a lower court judge intent on protecting speed cameras in Iowa. The three-judge panel of the Eighth Circuit US Court of Appeals concluded that the case filed against Cedar Rapids and Dutch speed camera operator Gatso suffered from major flaws, but that the lower court judge was a bit too eager to toss the case on procedural grounds. Lead plaintiffs Gary Hughes and David Mazgaj did not actually receive tickets and lacked standing under the federal system. However, that did not mean they lacked standing under Iowa law.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Court Approves Red-Light Camera Class Action Against Chicago, Illinois
Motorists in Chicago, Illinois want refunds for red-light camera citations, and they are likely to get them after a Cook County court’s ruling Wednesday. Judge Kathleen G. Kennedy certified a class action suit against the city for failing to comply with its own ticketing ordinance. The ruling was handed down just one day after the same lawyers suing the city filed a separate suit designed to nullify the efforts of Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) to use a new ordinance to evade responsibility for returning the money.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
US Senator Takes On Rental Car Toll Road Convenience Fees
Capitol Hill has taken notice of the high fees being charged to toll road using rental car customers. In a letter Friday, US Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) called for a formal inquiry into the potentially “unfair and deceptive business practices” underlying the surprise bills that many rental car users receive after taking a trip on a toll road. Hertz customers, for instance, filed a lawsuit after they had $10.75 automatically billed to their credit card account to cover a 75 cent toll. A renter who made a single, one-way trip across the Golden Gate Bridge had to pay $32.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Florida Appellate Courts Split On Camera Legality
The courts of appeal in Florida are formally split on whether municipalities have been running red-light camera programs in a way that violates state law. The Second District Court of Appeal on Friday distanced itself from Hollywood v. Arem, the decision of a sister court. The conflict sets the stage for the long-standing battle to be resolved in the state Supreme Court.
Monday, October 31, 2016
France, Italy Fights Against Speed Cameras Explodes
The push back against speed cameras in Italy took a violent turn last week as a man single handedly took on four municipal police officers who were guarding a mobile speed camera in Turin. According to Blasting News, a Fiat Multipla zipped past a speed trap at Corso Luigi Settembrini at around 3:30pm last Monday. The driver, a 49-year-old man, then pulled a U-turn and rammed the camera, injuring the four municipal employees in the process. He was later arrested and charged with assault.
