A Cook County judge ruled in February that Chicago broke state law by charging drivers more than $250 in fines and penalties on certain parking and compliance tickets. The city is reportedly liable for more than $163 million, FOX 32 Chicago reported. Eight months later, the court record shows the case is still moving through the courts.
The ruling
FOX 32 reported on Feb. 24, 2026, that a Cook County judge ruled "last week" that the city had illegally assessed fines and penalties. Illinois law prohibits Chicago from assessing more than $250 in fines and penalties for standing, parking or compliance violations, FOX 32 reported. The lawsuit alleged the city charged as much as $400 for city sticker violations and exceeded the $250 limit on several other ticket types.
The tickets date back to 2012, and about a million tickets are involved, according to FOX 32. The court certified the case as a class action on June 29, 2023, FOX 32 reported.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, as cited by FOX 32, the city plans to appeal. It is not yet clear how any refunds would be distributed, FOX 32 reported.
What the court record shows
The Cook County court records portal lists the case as 2018CH08945, a class action against the City of Chicago filed July 17, 2018, before Judge William B. Sullivan. The named plaintiffs are Mike Blaha and Kyle Garchar, and the city is the defendant. The docket we viewed on Oct. 18, 2026 shows these entries:
- Oct. 8, 2026: the plaintiffs filed an amended motion for summary judgment on class relief and entry of final judgment.
- Oct. 13, 2026: entries show a motion continued, a motion struck or withdrawn, and a briefing schedule set.
- The next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 19, 2027, at 10:30 a.m. in Courtroom 2410 of the Daley Center.
The docket does not show a final judgment or any payment to the class. We could not tell from the docket what the city has argued.
What we could not confirm
Our video said fines reached as high as $1,600 and that the case covers tickets paid after July 2013. We could not find either in the reporting we reviewed, so neither is repeated here. We also could not confirm that the city has filed an appeal.
Our question
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