Single Unemployed Mom Sues City, Airline, for Over $100k in Parking Tickets

[kellyhound]

A Chicago woman is fighting back after her abandoned car racked up over $100,000 worth of fines for sitting in a parking lot at O'Hare Airport for over 3 years.


Police officers continued to write Jennifer Fitzgerald tickets for abandoning her vehicle and parking in a city lot for over 30 days, even though the city is supposed to tow vehicles after that time.

Fitzgerald claims she sold the car to her then-boyfriend Brandon Preveau for $600, and he also picked up the costs for insurance and license plates. She said she tried to transfer the title, but admits the car was still in her name.

Fitzgerald claims Preveau, a United Airlines employee, abandoned the car in an employee parking lot where she did not have access to it, and it began accumulating tickets.

Both the city and Preveau dispute Fitzgerald's account. A law department spokesman tells that the car was moved a number of time in the lot during the three-year-period.

"A stack of tickets was not accruing on the vehicle," the spokesman said.

Preveau's lawyer tells his client should not be held responsible, because he did not own the car.

"The title was never in his name and the license plates were never in his name either," he said.

[Faline]

If it's still in her name surely there's nothing she can do?

[pbaj12]

To me what would make sense..30 days of tickets, contact the owner, they can pay the fines or the car will be taken as payment.

[Sharon]

So if the car was still in her name, why was it left there for 3 years and not towed away? I'm slightly confused by the whole thing Or I'm tired