BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — It all dates back to the year 2020.
"We were in COVID, people were losing their jobs, staying at home and the city came out with this program supposedly based on safety," Attorney Kevin Stocker said.
The City of Buffalo launched the School Zone Safety Program in the Fall of 2020. Dozens of speed cameras were installed in school zones and thousands of tickets were issued. The city would generate $1.8 million in revenue in the one year the program was in effect.
However, in 2021 Stocker filed a lawsuit against the city and said not only did the program's reduced speed limit create even more dangerous conditions, it also seemed as if people were being targeted financially.
"It appeared to me that they were targeting people that would be poor or working class and struggling especially during the COVID times everybody was struggling," Stocker said.
First offense tickets were issued at $50, second offense at $75 and third offense at $100.
New York State Supreme Court Justice Henry Nowak has since issued a decision which will allow people to be included in a class-action lawsuit and get that money back.
"We think with what the judge set the class action at and the time frames, we're looking at somewhere between two and three million dollars in revenue," Stocker said. "They knew what they did was wrong and they should refund everybody's money."
Stocker said anyone who got a ticket with a plea or a pay date of November 19, 2020 through July 15, 2021 is eligible to take part on the class-action lawsuit.
"Parents actually when they see me on the streets are so happy because a lot of them their children got tickets in their names because it doesn't go to the driver but the registered owner of the vehicle," Stocker said. "So parents all across the city and Western New York are very upset with the program."
Stocker said they are currently in the litigation process and have a court date in the coming weeks. He is continuing to learn just how many were impacted and feels confident they will be getting the fine money back to that group of people.
