If the police painted the tires into one, the city will pay you $1

Ann Arbor City prepares to pay after court ruled that tire chalk was a search

How much is your rights worth? In Ann Arbor, Michigan, they are worth only one dollar. It’s a frustrating amount, but Ann Arbor City Council recently decided to settle a class action lawsuit dating back to 2019. As part of the settlement, any tires from Ann Arbor Police Department drugs may qualify for $1.

Litigation that triggers a solution

As New York City points out, the story begins with Sean Yannotti, who filed a proposed class action lawsuit in federal court. He claimed that police violated his Fourth Amendment rights, especially the protection of unreasonable searches and seizures, which was painted on April 6, 2019 as part of their efforts to enforce the parking regulations.

More: Court of Appeal finds chalk tires for parking tickets unconstitutional

Just 16 days after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling that would have a significant impact. The court ruled that “tire chalk is a search” and therefore required an applicable exception to the search warrant or Fourth Amendment search warrant requirement.

After the decision, Ann Arbor stopped the tire chalk. But the city has violated people’s rights and that’s where litigation comes into play.

Missed opportunities for responsibility

Ultimately, the Council decided to “avoid the costs of ongoing litigation” by resolving the litigation at $1 per class member and “all claims against the city and dismissing the litigation by bias.” This should allow the city to get out of the situation relatively cheaply, but it does not completely stop police officers from going forward.

In fact, $1 appears to be a drop in the barrel as the lawsuit calls for a refund of the parking fine and $70 in damages. The latter figure is the amount Yannotti was fined, which could be a huge loss to the city before even considering legal bills.

h/t to mlive