Palatine seeks sanctions against attorney behind parking ticket lawsuit

Palatine officials are asking a federal judge to punish a lawyer who recently filed a lawsuit against the village stemming from a parking ticket issued in 2007, a case similar to one rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in November.

The lawsuit, filed by Chicago attorney Martin Murphy on Tuesday, alleges the village violated the Driver Privacy Protection Act when personal information was listed on a June 2007 parking ticket issued to plaintiff Michael Collins of Long Grove. Information on the ticket included his address, date of birth, driver's license number, sex, height and weight, according to the suit.

The case was filed just months after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a similar case Murphy brought stemming from a parking ticket issued in 2010 to plaintiff Jason Senne of Palatine.

Village Manager Reid Ottesen said the village does not usually comment on pending litigation but it making an exception with this one.

"In this case, the village is compelled to state that it thinks these filings to be an abuse of the court process," Ottesen said. "The village attorney informed Mr. Murphy that we intend to seek sanctions."

Murphy said the new case is similar to the old case, but called the village's action "ridiculous." One of the reasons he filed the new case is because the old case was never made a class action by the court.

"The judge ruled against Senne on a summary judgment, which left the question of whether it was class action or not out there," he said.

Murphy is seeking $2,500 for each instance in which Palatine "knowingly obtained, disclosed or used personal information from a motor vehicle record in any manner not permitted under the DPPA." No date has been set for a hearing.

The village no longer prints personal information on parking tickets.