Maybe I'll get my $130 back one day...

I got popped by a speed-trap camera near Jackson and Prytania over the holidays. Mrs. YatPundit paid the ticket (something like $130 with the fine and fees) as soon as the notice arrived, in spite of my protests. She's much more level-headed and doesn't want to have to bail me out of Central Lockup for a traffic attachment. Still, I didn't think I was speeding and wanted to challenge the ticket in court. Fortunately for me, there's a lawyer out there who wants to play in class-action land on behalf of his client, another attorney named Joseph McMahon, III:

McMahon said Reese agreed with him that the city failed to produce proper affidavits, required by the red-light-camera law, attesting to the reliability of the camera system and the fact that, based on the recorded images, a violation had occurred.

McMahon and his attorney, Anthony Maska, challenged the ticket, saying the city could not prove who was driving the vehicle and objecting to the introduction of the photographic and videotape evidence the city said proved McMahon's guilt.

A hearing officer rejected McMahon's claims and found him guilty. Rather than pay a fine and fees totaling almost $150, he appealed to Civil District Court, and Reese on Wednesday issued a summary judgment in his favor.

McMahon said Reese agreed with him that the city failed to produce proper affidavits, required by the red-light-camera law, attesting to the reliability of the camera system and the fact that, based on the recorded images, a violation had occurred.

Here's the big problem with this: what if the city has to give back the $10million in camera-busted fines they collected last year? That could really back the city into a major financial corner.

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