ST. LOUIS COUNTY • A judge approved Friday an $18 million settlement in class-action lawsuits that challenged Missouri’s red-light camera laws, but only about $2.2 million is expected to be paid out.
Circuit Judge Tom W. DePriest Jr. certified a settlement reached in September that releases claims against 27 Missouri cities that have contracted with Tempe, Ariz.-based American Traffic Solutions Inc., which makes and installs the cameras.
At issue was issuance of tickets to vehicle owners instead of drivers, in what the nine suits claimed was a violation of Missouri law governing tickets for moving violations. They said it deprived them of due process of law. The cases were consolidated for the settlement.
It was unclear Friday what effect the settlement would have on continuing red-light camera enforcement.
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The settlement is a significant step in an ongoing legal showdown between cities, which argue that cameras improve safety, and drivers, who see them as Orwellian devices designed primarily to make money.
The class-action suits filed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ County court represent 892,725 class “members†who have received tickets going back to 2005.
ATS and cities using the cameras have defended the devices as legal and effective for improving road safety.
Plaintiffs could split as much as $16 million; lawyers will get about $2 million in fees.
Tickets from red-light camera violations typically cost $100; people who paid them should be eligible for a partial refund of about $20 per ticket, the lawsuit says.
As of March 1, only 112,123 valid claims were filed, which means the total payout to those who got tickets will be about $2.2 million
Lawyers for the plaintiffs could not be reached Friday. ATS responded to an inquiry with an email that said, in part, “Under Missouri law, a Judgment becomes final 30 days after it is entered. Therefore, we expect settlement checks to be mailed approximately within weeks to class members who filed timely valid claims.
Missouri cities included in the settlement are: Arnold, Bellerive Acres, Bel-Nor, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bridgeton, Calverton Park, Clayton, Country Club Hills, Creve Coeur, Dellwood, Ellisville, Excelsior Springs, Ferguson, Florissant, Grandview, Hazelwood, Kansas City, Moline Acres, Northwoods, Richmond Heights, St. Ann, St. John, St. Joseph, ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Sugar Creek and Washington.
ATS is settling the claims on behalf of the cities. By reaching the settlement, defendants do not admit to allegations made in the lawsuits.
The settlement excludes plaintiffs in a separate suit pending before the Missouri Supreme Court that focuses on red-light camera programs in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, St. Peters and a speed-camera case from Moline Acres. Those cities also have argued that their cameras are legal and an important safety tool.
Last year, a ºüÀêÊÓƵ judge invalidated ºüÀêÊÓƵ city’s red-light ordinance but later suspended his order to allow for an appeal. The city is still issuing tickets but putting fines it collects into an escrow account pending the outcome of the Supreme Court case.
In December, Rep. Paul Curtman, R-Union, filed a bill aimed at giving Missourians a chance to eliminate red-light cameras statewide. If it passes, a referendum would be put to the voters in August 2016.
Last month, St. Peters terminated its contract with Redflex Traffic Systems, another red-light camera firm. The city turned off its cameras last fall and said they would be dismantled this summer.