A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the city of Sioux Falls and
Redflex Traffic Systems, the ticket camera manufacturer.
Sioux Falls resident I.L. Wiedermann is fighting the ticket cameras on behalf of himself and 20,000 vehicle owners who also have received $86 tickets since May 2004.
Circuit Judge Kathleen Caldwell listened to lawyers for the city and Redflex who, respectively, wanted the case significantly limited or thrown out altogether.
Bill Garry, representing the city, said that when the thousands who paid their fines did so, they waived their right to contest their tickets.
Richard Casey, a Redflex lawyer, said Wiedermann’s claims involve the city, not Redflex, so the company should be removed as a defendant.
Wiedermann is accusing the city of failing to enact an ordinance prohibiting a right turn on red, altering the timing of stoplights, illegally imposing civil penalties, and denying due process. Similar arguments were successful in the Minnesota Supreme Court earlier this year.
By Aaron Quinn, Communications Director, NMA ©2007 NMA Foundation, All rights reserved.