Class Action / Refund Litigation (Pinkston / Frownfelter)
Following Pinkston v. City of Chicago (2023 IL 128575) and the 2024-2025 Cook County rulings finding Chicago overcharged for parking tickets, several class actions and refund mechanisms have emerged. Affected drivers who paid CBD-rate tickets at non-CBD locations, paid impound/boot fees later determined erroneous, or were assessed late fees during periods when proper notice was lacking, may be eligible to opt into class settlements or file individual refund claims. Watch chicago.gov, Illinois Attorney General, and Cook County news for current class actions.
Legal basis
Pinkston v. City of Chicago, 2023 IL 128575; Cook County rulings 2024-2025; Illinois Class Action Statute (735 ILCS 5/2-801)
Sample appeal wording
Monitor: - chicago.gov/parking-ticket-refunds - Illinois Attorney General consumer alerts - Cook County Circuit Court class action notices - Local news coverage (CBS 2, ABC 7, Chicago Tribune) If eligible, file the claim form OR opt into the class as directed in the notice. Preserve records of all payments to the City for the relevant tickets. For individual refund: TO: City of Chicago, Department of Finance — Refund Section RE: Refund Claim — Tickets [NUMBERS] I claim a refund pursuant to Pinkston v. City of Chicago / Cook County Order in [CASE]. Tickets paid: [LIST WITH DATES AND AMOUNTS, TOTAL $___] Evidence: (1) payment records; (2) class definition match. Signed, [FULL_NAME] Date: [DATE]
Replace [PARKING DATE], [NtK DATE] etc. with your own dates before sending.
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Scan my ticketSources
- Pinkston v. City of Chicago, 2023 IL 128575
- Cook County Circuit Court (Frownfelter and successor cases)
- Illinois Class Action Statute