Class Action: Memphis, Shelby County Employees Not Authorized to Write Parking Tickets

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The City of Memphis, Shelby County, and the Downtown Memphis Commission find themselves as defendants in a proposed class action filed in Tennessee that alleges state employees issue parking tickets without the legal authority to do so.

According to the complaint, pursuant to Shelby County and City of Memphis ordinances, the only entity authorized to issue summonses and citations, including parking tickets, is the city’s police department. Nevertheless, the case claims, employees of the Downtown Memphis Commission regularly write parking tickets in the city without authorization. The suit adds that the defendants have justified their allegedly illegal actions by asserting in court filings that they do have the power to issue tickets, despite the procedures outlined in the city and county’s ordinances.

The case argues the defendants have violated drivers’ constitutional rights and state law by taking their property via impoundment and extracting payment without due process.