A Whatcom County, Washington Superior Court Judge yesterday threw the book at a photo enforcement firm for interfering with the right of the public to petition their government. Judge Ira Uhrig handed down from the bench a stinging rebuke to American Traffic Solutions (ATS). Uhrig found the firm's lawsuit to block an anti-traffic camera initiative from reaching the ballot in Bellingham violated state law, so he slapped the Arizona-based firm with a $10,000 fine and ordered it to pay the legal fees of the initiative's sponsors.
"This was the greatest repudiation of ATS by a judge I could ever imagine happening," initiative co-sponsor Tim Eyman told TheNewspaper. "It was huge. I've never seen anything like it."
Petitions to place a ban red light cameras and speed cameras before voters have been endorsed by residents in four Washington cities. Traffic camera vendors have fought back with lawsuits. Uhrig found the legal tactics used in Bellingham violated an anti-SLAPP law which prohibits "strategic lawsuits against public participation." These suits exploit the legal system to thwart petition drives.
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