McGrath v. Suffolk County
Issue Whether Suffolk County’s imposition of administrative fees on red light camera violations exceeding the state statutory cap of $50 per violation (or $75 with a late fee) is preempted …
City of Grants Pass v. Johnson
Issue Does the Eighth Amendment’s Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause prohibit municipalities from enforcing generally applicable laws regulating sleeping and camping on public property? Holding In a 6-3 ruling, the …
State v. Gibbons
Issue 1. Whether a law that imposed a $5,000 mandatory minimum fine without regard to the defendant’s ability to pay, is facially unconstitutional under the Excessive Fines Clause of both …
Fant et al. v. City of Ferguson
Case No. 4-15-CV-00253-AGF| Settled February 27, 2024 Claims at Issue: In a class action complaint filed on February 8, 2015, the plaintiffs, nine class representatives who had been issued traffic …
Post-Ferguson Class Action Suits Challenging Fine and Fee Schemes in Missouri
Post-Ferguson Class Action Suits Challenging Fine and Fee Schemes in Missouri In 2014, when a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri shot and killed Michael Brown, the City of Ferguson …
Rosa v. Doe
Rosa v. Doe No. 21-2628, Nov. 20, 2023; WL 8009400 (2d Cir. 2023) Holding When assessing whether an incarcerated person qualifies for a waiver of filing fees in a federal …
City of Whitefish v. Curran
Issues 1. Can a court impose a fine on someone with a demonstrated inability to pay? 2. Is it an abuse of discretion to fail to offer alternatives to a …
State v. Brophy
Issues 1. Is the protection provided by the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment applicable to the states under Timbs v. Indiana? 2. Did the lower court properly rule …
Tyler v. Hennepin County, Minnesota, et al.
In a unanimous opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court holds that local governments seeking forfeiture of property as compensation for a public debt may not profit from it beyond the amount …
Roberts Webb et al. v. City of Maplewood
On March 6, 2023, a federal judge approved a $3.25 million settlement in this class-action lawsuit brought against the City of Maplewood, Missouri. The suit alleged that the City regularly …