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A DRIVER was stunned after discovering she had been hit with a $100,000 parking fine – but she insisted she hadn’t parked there.
Jenner Fitzgerald’s 1999 Chevy Monte Carlo cost just $600 – far less than the $105,000 fine she was slapped with after her car was abandoned at an airport.
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The single mom from Chicago claimed her ex-boyfriend, Brandon Preveau, had ditched the car at O’Hare Airport three years earlier.
He reportedly bought the car in his girlfriend’s name before parking it at the Illinois travel hub.
Preveau, who worked for United Airlines, was able to park his car for free while working.
But signs at the airport say that any vehicle left in a lot for more than 30 days would be treated as abandoned if unclaimed by the owner.
READ MORE ON PARKING FINES
At some point between Preveau’s purchase of the car and when he abandoned it, he and Fitzgerald broke up.
The car was abandoned in November 2009 and quickly started to rack up tickets.
In December, she began getting calls about the car, but as it was in a secured parking lot, she couldn’t move it.
She also didn’t have the keys.
Fitzgerald pleaded with her now ex-boyfriend to move the car, but it was in vain.
She then went to the police and asked them to help.
The cops should have been able to bring the crisis to an end because in theory – after 30 days of being abandoned – they should have towed the car.
But for some reason, the police didn’t tow the vehicle, and the farce continued.
In total, the car got 678 parking tickets.
At first, the car was ticketed solely for having parked illegally, but as it lay abandoned it fell into disrepair, earning even more citations.
Those offenses included broken headlights, being in a hazardous and dilapidated condition, and having missing or cracked windows.
Her eye-watering $105k fine was the biggest in Chicago’s history.
How to fight a parking ticket
You can avoid being ticketed by following all posted laws and ordinances, but sometimes mistakes are made
Like any form of citation, parking tickets are preventable by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes are made.
Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket is a surprise to you, there are a few things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.
- Carefully read the ticket. Look for errors like incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would then make the ticket invalid.
- Take photos. Of the vehicle in the parking space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that weren’t cited for performing the same parking job. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with the time and date are accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or are on bent posts, or aren’t “obvious” are great things to photograph, too.
- Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If not listed, the ticket is not valid.
- Promptly follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have directions for appeal. Waiting until the very last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees.
- When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument:
- “I didn’t know the law.”
- “I was on my way to move my car.”
- “I can’t afford this ticket.”
- “I’ve been doing this for years.”
- “I checked with the parking officer, who said it was OK.”
- Contact a lawyer. If you’re running into roadblocks and feel stuck, it may be best to reach out to a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.
Source: Reader’s Digest
Fitzgerald filed a lawsuit against Preveau, United Airlines, and the city of Chicago, arguing she shouldn’t have to pay anything.
Although the car was registered in her name, Fitzgerald insisted she was never the owner and shouldn’t have to pay the tickets.
She didn’t give up and after four years of litigation, the case was finally closed.
Fitzgerald managed to get the figure bumped down to a relatively minor $4,470.
But frustratingly, she still had to pay most of the fine, while her ex escaped.
Preveau was ordered to front up an initial $1,600 downpayment, while Fitzgerald paid the rest in $78 monthly payments.
