This Chicago Man Just Gave His Ex a $100k Parking Fine

Who doesn’t get the occasional parking ticket? If you are one of us who do, then I am sure you probably know how annoying and pesky they can get. But what happens if your parking tickets reach over $100000? Jennifer Fitzgerald managed to do so! The woman from Chicago accumulated an astonishing $105,000 in parking tickets after her ex-boyfriend left her car in an O’Hare airport employee lot in 2009. This case highlights the potential financial repercussions of parking violations, with most people not reaching the $100000 parking fine even after multiple tickets and impoundments.

How Did This Woman Reach a $100000 Parking Fine?

Jennifer Fitzgerald’s exorbitantly priced car garnered a remarkable 678 parking tickets before it was eventually towed. Rather than paying the exorbitant $105,000 in fines, Fitzgerald negotiated a settlement with the City of Chicago. They ultimately agreed to pay $4,500. Despite the State of Illinois revoking her car’s license plates, the tickets kept coming.

Fitzgerald argued that she couldn’t access the parking lot. This then led her to take legal action against the city. She wanted to attempt to clear the accumulated tickets and associated penalties. The case underscores individuals’ challenges and complexities in resolving extensive parking violations, even after license plate revocation.

How Did He End Up Giving Her $100000 Parking Fines?

In November 2009, after they had ended their relationship, Preveau parked the car in United’s lot at O’Hare. The vehicle began accumulating tickets, and was marked as “hazardous” and “dilapidated”. It was then eventually left in the lot for over 30 days.

Fitzgerald, who started receiving notices about the tickets in December 2009, was unable to move the car from the secure airport lot. She had numerous pleas to her ex-boyfriend to relocate the vehicle. Additionally, she documented the pleas in the lawsuit as “occasions too numerous to list”. However, the car continued to get tickets. This led to the complex legal battle surrounding ownership and responsibility for the parking violations.

What Does the Law Imply in This Scenario?

The Chicago Department of Aviation stipulates that vehicles left in O’Hare airport lots for over 30 days without notifying lot operators may be towed. The process involves attempts to contact the owner first. If unsuccessful, the vehicle is first moved to another lot before ultimately being towed to the city impound lot as an abandoned vehicle.

In the case involving Jennifer Fitzgerald and her ex-boyfriend Brandon Preveau, they dated for several years and had a daughter named Zoe. Preveau, identified as the “principal driver” of the car, purchased a purple Monte Carlo from Fitzgerald’s uncle in early 2008, using his 2007 income tax refund to pay $600 for the vehicle. Despite being the primary driver, Preveau signed the car’s title over to Jennifer.

How Was the $100000 Parking Fine Ticket Settled?

In a resolution reported by DNA Info Chicago, the city decided to drop a substantial $100,000 in ticket fines against Jennifer Fitzgerald, resulting in a final bill of $4,470. This marks the end of a protracted legal battle for Fitzgerald, a single mother who found herself saddled with the city’s largest parking fine on record.

As part of the settlement terms, there is a requirement for an initial down payment of $1,600, with the remaining balance to be covered by Fitzgerald at a rate of $78 per month until the total fine is paid off. This financial arrangement involves Preveau, presumably associated with the incident leading to the fines, taking on the initial payment responsibility.

What would you have done in this situation?

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