Cody Weiss got a parking ticket on La Jolla Avenue in Los Angeles for exceeding the two hour limit. He contested the ticket -- as you're allowed to do -- by filing a statement online that simply denied that he was parked for more than two hours. But the people who the City hired to conduct this initial review decided that Mr. Weiss was responsible, so he then paid the $55 ticket.
Most of the time, that'd be the end of the story.
But not for Mr. Weiss.
Mr. Weiss promptly files a lawsuit that claims that, pursuant to statute, the City of Los Angeles is required to conduct the initial review of tickets like his itself, and can't outsource this task -- as the City does -- to other outside entities (here, Xerox Business Services).
The trial court not only agrees with Mr. Weiss, but also awards him his attorney's fees in filing the suit. All $722,000 of them.
The Court of Appeal affirms.
Getting $722,000 in fees pursuant to your challenge to a $55 parking ticket. Not bad for Mr. Weiss.
Not bad at all.
