CHICAGO — Illinois’ First District Appellate Court has declared the City of Chicago has improperly issued tickets since at least 2012 which exceed the state’s $250 local ordinance fine limit, according to a press release from Myron M. Cherry & Associates, LLC.

Myron M. Cherry & Associates, LLC. notes the ruling could impact tens of thousands of Chicagoans who could seek class action status in a lawsuit against the city government.

Those that want to get money back that may have been lost due to improperly issued tickets do not need to do anything and will be contacted if they are a potential class member in a class-action lawsuit.

The law firm stated tickets had been issued, such as for an expired or non-existent city stickers or parking too close to a fire hydrant, which carried total costs of initial fines plus penalties of up to $400. They added the city issues more than 200,000 of these tickets each year. At $150 over the state limit, those estimates would equate to $300 million in illegally collected fines over the past decade.

For Rodney Shelton, he had no clue buying a car for his son would lead to a domino-effect disaster with the city of Chicago.

The car could not pass an emissions test, so Shelton was unable to acquire a city sticker. In just two months, he received 66 tickets and his license was suspended. This occurred while notices were sent to an address Shelton hadn’t lived at in years.

If tickets aren’t paid on time, residents can get hit with crippling late fees and penalties. The city of Chicago said the decision is under review from the Law Department.