Philly Lawyer Beats PPA Ticket, Feels Other Drivers Are 'Victimized' Too
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - After getting slapped with a ticket for parking in a designated "Bus Zone," a Philadelphia lawyer took it to court… and won.
But his fight with the Philadelphia Parking Authority is not over yet.
Criminal defense lawyer Michael Coard was visiting a client along the 3600 block of Conshohocken Avenue, when he was written up. He was parked between a standard pole with "No Parking - Bus Zone" signage, and the bus zone lines painted on the street.
But Coard felt he wasn't liable for the violation. He requested, received and promptly lost a hearing before the PPA's Bureau of Administrative Adjudication on Filbert Street.
Rather than write a check for $51, he filed an appeal to Common Pleas Court, which cost him $200, about four times the cost of the parking ticket:
"I then go to the Court of Common Pleas, in front of a real judge, and the judge says 'this is a no-brainer, it says it right here in black and white, it's not the pole, it's the marking on the street'."
So while the judge sided with him, the PPA is appealing to the Pennsylvania Superior Court.
Coard believes there are plenty of motorists out there who are also fed up, as he puts it, "victimized by Parking Authority officers on the streets, and officials at hearings."
He is now "contemplating" whether to be a participant in a class action lawsuit against the Parking Authority.