Class Action Claims Metropolis Technologies Illegally Accesses Motor Vehicle Records to Issue ‘Fake’ Citations

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A proposed class action lawsuit claims Metropolis Technologies Inc. has violated the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) by mailing “fake” parking citations to vehicle owners using information obtained impermissibly from state motor vehicle records.

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The 15-page lawsuit alleges Metropolis Technologies, which claims to operate the largest network of parking lots and garages in North America, deceptively designs its “Notice of Parking Violation” tickets to look like official government citations that purport to impose hefty fines against vehicle owners. In reality, the citations are “issued” by a private company using information illegally obtained from state motor vehicle departments, the case claims.

“Metropolis’s entire business model is based on flouting the DPPA and abusing official motor vehicle data to harass, intimidate, deceive, and ultimately defraud consumers,” the complaint scathes. “This action aims to stop Metropolis’s unlawful conduct and compensate consumers whose privacy rights have been blatantly violated.”

According to the case, Metropolis uses license plate recognition technology in its parking lots and garages to determine whether the correct parking fee was paid by the vehicle’s driver. If Metropolis determines that the fee was not properly paid, the company accesses official motor vehicle records for the state appearing on the license plate to locate the registered owner’s name and address and mail them a “violation” notice, the suit alleges.

Per the case, Metropolis’s notices are “disguised” as official government citations and purport to levy “exorbitant penalties” and illegal service charges against vehicle owners, threatening to “boot” or “tow” their vehicles if the fines go unpaid. In many cases, the suit says, consumers pay the demanded amounts under the false impression that Metropolis is legally authorized to issue a citation or boot or tow their vehicles.

The lawsuit argues that Metropolis has illegally obtained vehicle owners’ personal information from official state records for purposes other than the “permissible uses” under the DPPA, which generally prohibits the disclosure of drivers’ data without their consent.

The Metropolis Technologies class action lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States whose personal information, as defined by the DPPA, was obtained, used or disclosed by Metropolis or its agents within the past four years and until the date class certification is granted.

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