Opinion ID: 164039
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Claims Adjudicated on the Merits

Text: 52 In addition to the claims presented above, Plaintiffs assert several challenges to the late fee itself. Specifically, Plaintiffs maintain that their substantive and procedural due process rights are violated because the late fee and the associated twenty-day period are not provided for in the Municipal Code. Additionally, they contend that the federal Equal Protection Clause is violated when the City assesses a late fee to ticket recipients who fail to pay the fine within twenty days. 53 Because these claims are based on the late fee itself, rather than on the misleading nature of the tickets, standing requirements are satisfied so long as the plaintiff was assessed and paid the late fee. Thus, Mrs. Rector, who does not allege that she paid the late fee, obviously lacks standing to bring any claims regarding the late fee, and her claims are hereby dismissed. As to Mr. Spencer, there is conflicting evidence in the record concerning whether he paid the late fee. In both his affidavit and deposition, Mr. Spencer claims that the late fee was paid in full. On the other hand, despite searching its records, the City has found no indication of issuing a ticket to Mr. Spencer and no record of payment for the alleged ticket. The factual dispute concerning whether Mr. Spencer paid the late fee constitutes a genuine issue of material fact as to justiciability of the asserted claims, see Essence, 285 F.3d at 1280, and for summary judgment purposes Mr. Spencer is deemed to have satisfied the standing requirements.
54 Plaintiffs reason that because the imposition of the late fee is not provided for in the Municipal Code, their procedural due process rights were violated. 55 It is well established, however, that a state's violation of its own laws does not create a claim under § 1983. See Medina v. Cram, 252 F.3d 1124, 1133 (10th Cir.2001) (citing Davis v. Scherer, 468 U.S. 183, 194-96, 104 S.Ct. 3012, 82 L.Ed.2d 139 (1984)). Therefore, Denver's alleged failure to follow its own ordinances is actionable only if the City's actions fail to meet basic federal constitutional standards. 56 Appellants' brief can be construed as raising two potential constitutional due process violations: (i) that the creation and enforcement of the late fee is without any basis or authority in law, and (ii) that the City fails to provide adequate notice to those who allegedly violate its parking regulations. We find both of these claims without merit. 57 If a city attempted to create and enforce parking regulations with no legal basis whatsoever, federal due process rights might be implicated. Plaintiffs, however, raise no such charge. Rather, Plaintiffs claim that the late fee and the associated twenty-day period do not conform to the mandates of the Municipal Code, which states: The presiding county judge, and the county judges who hear traffic cases shall specify by suitable schedules the fines for violations of article VII [pertaining to parking violations]. Municipal Code § 54-795. Because the late fee is not a traffic fine but a separate penalty assessed for failure to pay the traffic fine, Plaintiffs argue that the late penalty lies outside the scope of § 54-795. Further, they argue that the City unlawfully increased the amount of the fine without approval of the presiding judge and without providing adequate notice of the fine schedule, as mandated by the City's ordinance. 58 Even if true, these allegations do not amount to a violation of federal due process protections. Whether the authority granted in § 54-795 includes the right to initiate and enforce a late fee for failure to respond to a parking ticket, and whether Denver's promulgation of the fines and fees has been duly authorized by municipal law is purely a matter of state law and cannot be maintained as an action under § 1983. See Horn v. City of Chicago, 860 F.2d 700, 704 n. 7 (7th Cir.1988) (whether Illinois statutes and Chicago City Ordinances allowed Chicago to collect a default judgment in excess of the amount stated on the ticket is purely a matter of state law involving no federal question (internal quotation marks omitted)); see also Davis, 468 U.S. at 194-96, 104 S.Ct. 3012 (state violation of state law or ordinance cannot form the basis of § 1983 liability). 59 To fulfill notice requirements, constitutional due process requires only that parties be informed in a matter reasonably calculated to apprise them of the pending action and provide an opportunity to respond. Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co., 339 U.S. 306, 314, 70 S.Ct. 652, 94 L.Ed. 865 (1950). Because the parking citations clearly indicate that a late fee of a specified amount will be imposed if the fine is not paid within twenty days, ticket recipients are advised of both the amount of the late fee and the twenty-day response period. Therefore, Denver's asserted failure to follow the procedures set forth in § 54-795 does not implicate federal due process standards. 60 In addressing substantially the same issues, two other circuits have reached similar conclusions. In Horn, the Seventh Circuit overturned the district court's holding that Chicago's notices for parking fines violated procedural due process standards. 860 F.2d at 700. Chicago's notices stated that late fees would be assessed against delinquent recipients, threatened further legal action for non payment, and provided only a phone number for additional information about this notice (containing no language about challenging the ticket). Id. at 701-02. Despite the paucity of notice, the Seventh Circuit held that because ticket recipients were not deprived of an essential service, were warned about the maximum fines allowed under law, and were provided with a phone number for further information, federal due process standards were satisfied. Id. at 704-05. Similarly, despite noting some potential defects in Detroit's parking tickets, the Sixth Circuit held that no due process rights were violated because the citation clearly states that a hearing is available to contest the City's allegation that the vehicle owner committed a parking violation. Herrada, 275 F.3d at 557 (internal citations omitted). We concur with these holdings, and find that because Denver's tickets clearly notified recipients of the nature of the action and amount in contest, the demands of constitutional due process were satisfied.
61 Plaintiffs also assert that because Denver's late fees are not authorized by municipal ordinances, their imposition violates substantive due process. Again, because violations of state and local law do not create claims pursuant to § 1983, Medina, 252 F.3d at 1133, we examine this claim exclusively under constitutional standards delineated for substantive due process violations. 62 The Supreme Court has always been reluctant to expand the concept of substantive due process. County of Sacramento v. Lewis, 523 U.S. 833, 842, 118 S.Ct. 1708, 140 L.Ed.2d 1043 (1998) (quoting Collins v. Harker Heights, 503 U.S. 115, 125, 112 S.Ct. 1061, 117 L.Ed.2d 261 (1992)). Consequently, substantive due process claims are subject to heightened standards. Executive policymaking actions or legislative acts constitute substantive due process violations only if plaintiffs objectively show that such rights are rooted in our nation's history and provide a careful description of the asserted fundamental liberty interest. Washington v. Glucksberg, 521 U.S. 702, 720-21, 117 S.Ct. 2258, 138 L.Ed.2d 772 (1997). Specific uses of executive power violate substantive due process only when they shock the conscience. Lewis, 523 U.S. at 846-47, 118 S.Ct. 1708. 63 In dismissing this claim, the district court found, and Plaintiffs do not challenge, that the promulgation of fines for parking violations constitutes a legislative act and that enforcement of the fine is an executive action. Plaintiffs have neither argued nor presented any evidence suggesting that the parking regime implicates any historically protected fundamental rights or shocks the conscience. We thus affirm the district court's dismissal of these claims.
64 Plaintiffs assert that the imposition of the late penalty against recipients who fail to pay the fine within twenty days violates the Equal Protection Clause. According to Plaintiffs, this procedure creates an unreasonable classification between those who fail to pay the fine within twenty days and those who pay their fine within the recognized time period and are not subjected to the late fee. 65 The Equal Protection Clause prohibits state and local governments from treating similarly situated persons differently. City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc., 473 U.S. 432, 439-41, 105 S.Ct. 3249, 87 L.Ed.2d 313 (1985). Unless a suspect class or fundamental right is implicated, a government's classification need only be rationally related to a legitimate government interest. Nordlinger v. Hahn, 505 U.S. 1, 10, 112 S.Ct. 2326, 120 L.Ed.2d 1 (1992). The record supports the district court's finding that the late fee was established to encourage timely payment of parking citations, and that the City has a legitimate interest in enforcing its parking laws. We agree with these findings and affirm dismissal of this claim.