Putting the Brakes on Red-Light Camera Lawsuits

Carlton Fields attorneys helped secure the dismissal of a putative federal class action lawsuit against the private contractor American Traffic Solutions, Inc. (ATS).

U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno tossed the lawsuit following the Florida Supreme Court’s rejection of a similar challenge in Jimenez v. State of Florida, et al. The justices ruled in May that Florida law allows third-party vendors to review red-light camera images and that cities, not ATS, issue violations under these safety programs.

The class action against a group of red-light camera companies and more than 80 municipalities and counties also alleged the local governments’ red-light camera systems did not comply with Florida law. The plaintiffs estimated their damages at $200 million. Judge Moreno of the Southern District of Florida ruled the case, Parker, et al. v. American Traffic Solutions, Inc., et al., could not go forward after the Florida Supreme Court’s ruling.

“This was a long road that crisscrossed the courts at the state and federal levels, but it achieved the right result,” said Kevin McCoy, Carlton Fields shareholder and attorney for ATS.