EDWARDSVILLE – A Granite City resident is suing the city for allegedly fining him $600 without proper notice over a broken-down vehicle parked on a public street.
Plaintiff Kevin Link filed a class action lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court against the City of Granite City.
According to the lawsuit, Granite City issued Link a citation for a nonworking vehicle that was parked on Iowa Street. Link claims he never received notice of this citation and Granite City never served him a warrant or summons by personal service, certified mail, or any other legally recognized form of delivery as required. The lawsuit states that the record of the case shows no service or process whatsoever.
On July 14, Granite City notified Link that he had been found liable for a code violation in a May 8 municipal hearing and that he was being fined $600. The notice was issued more than 35 days after the hearing, so Link claims he had no chance to file an appeal and threatened legal action against the plaintiff if payment was not made within 30 days.
Link states that Granite City issued the fine without mandatory statutory service of the process. According to Link, the notice system used by Granite City is illegal and violates state law by failing to provide personal or certified mail service and then proceeding with the case regardless of whether service was provided or not.
The plaintiff is seeking damages for himself and everyone in the proposed class for an amount in excess of $50,000, plus court costs, attorneys fees, and any other relief the court deems proper. He is represented in this case by attorney Thomas G. Maag of the Maag Law Firm in Wood River.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 2023LA001092