Politics & Government

Partial Refunds May Come to Red Light Cam Violators Under Settlement

Payout is expected to be minimal, however

If you received a ticket from one of Brick Township's red light cameras prior to July 2012, you may eventually be owed a refund under a legal settlement struck Friday.

But don't expect to be reimbursed anywhere near the $85 you had to pay to settle your own case against the camera.

American Traffic Solutions, the vendor of Brick's red light cameras, along with 16 municipalities – including Brick – were sued earlier this year after the state shut down the cameras in those municipalities after finding that a different standard was applied to calculate the length of amber, or yellow, lights than state law required.

Find out what's happening in Brickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Though in most cases, including in Brick, the yellow lights were eventually found to have complied with the prescribed standard, legal action ensued.

The class action suit filed earlier this year was settled after "extensive mediation" with retired Federal Magistrate Judge Joel Rosen, a statement from ATS said. The settlement will preclude similar lawsuits against other ATS communities which had not been previously sued. 

Find out what's happening in Brickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Those who received red light camera tickets prior to the July 2012 certification by state officials will receive a notice in the mail regarding their participation, said Charles Territo, an ATS spokesman.

"Those eligible will be notified by mail once the settlement is approved by the courts," Territo told Brick Patch. "Approval should come sometime in January with notifications beginning sometime in February."

The refund owed to violators will be approximately $6, Territo said.

An attorney for the plaintiff in the case said the matter should now be closed.

"As far as we are concerned, this agreement puts these issues to rest and fairly resolves the concerns of the class,” said attorney Stephen DeNittis. "By settling these cases not only for themselves, but also on behalf of their customers, ATS has ensured that costly and potentially lengthy litigation will be avoided."

Under the terms of the agreement, ATS and their municipal customers expressly rejected any wrongdoing.


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