Ferguson and other St. Louis-area towns are sued over municipal court fees
Public-interest law firms have filed suit against seven towns in the St. Louis area, contending that they impose illegal and unfair municipal court fees that have a disproportionate impact on low-income and minority individuals.
Among the defendants is the city of Ferguson, where angry protests over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager have been fueled by a widespread perception of police bias.
KSDK and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch have stories.
Filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court, the suits seek class-action status and demand reimbursement for defendants who were forced to pay fees to cancel warrants or go to jail, the newspaper reports. The litigation also asks for an accounting of what was paid and by whom, as well as a court ruling that municipal court fees violate state law.
“Our goal is to stop cities from filling their coffers with illegal fees and from continuing to conduct for-profit policing,” said law professor Brendan Roediger of St. Louis University in a written statement provided to the newspaper. He is among the plaintiff attorneys in the case.
Lawyers for the defendant municipalities either declined to comment, saying they had not yet seen the suit, or did not respond to requests for comment.
Related coverage:
Mother Jones: “How Many Ways Can the City of Ferguson Slap You With Court Fees? We Counted”
NPR: “In Ferguson, Court Fines And Fees Fuel Anger”
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: ‘Is Missouri ready to wean towns from traffic ticket windfalls?”’
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (opinion): “Municipal courts charge $100 for Christmas gift of fake amnesty”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Missouri’s ‘officer-friendly’ use-of-force law likely helped Ferguson officer avoid charges”
