Red-Light Camera Case Turns Kafka-esque

Ticketed drivers have a right to appeal in a court that doesn't actually exist, lawsuit claims

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—A class action claims the City of Center Point and Redflex Traffic Systems illegally ticket drivers by threatening them with a court appearance if they refuse to pay fines, though "no such court exists."

Redflex owns and operates the traffic cameras for Center Point, which photographs cars believed to run red lights or stop signs or speed.

Such traffic-enforcement systems have been challenged, usually unsuccessfully, in courts all over the country.

This one is a bit odd, though. It claims that the law that made the traffic cameras legal also gave ticketed drivers the right to appeal—but there are no courts authorized to hear the appeals, the two named plaintiffs say.