On March 8th, 2014, several citizens of Montgomery, Alabama, who had been imprisoned for failing to pay traffic fines, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, under 42 U.S.C. §1983, against the City of Montgomery, Alabama. The plaintiffs, represented by Equal Justice Under Law and private counsel, asked the court for a declaratory judgment that the plaintiffs' rights were violated, compensation for the damages caused by the city's conduct, and attorneys' fees. The plaintiffs alleged they did not have the ability to pay for the traffic tickets and that the City should not have imprisoned them for failing to pay the traffic tickets when they did not attempt to determine whether the plaintiffs had an ability to pay.

On May 1, 2014, the District Court (Judge Mark E. Fuller) granted a motion for a preliminary injunction. The injunction enjoins the city from attempting to collect monies owed to the city associated with traffic tickets by the plaintiffs. The city is also required to submit a comprehensive plan on how they will determine an individual's ability to pay for traffic fines. The last action in this case, on August 21, 2014, was the District Court (Judge Myron H. Thompson) extending the injunction until the court orders a change.

Steve Vnuk - 09/25/2014


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