Plaintiffs v Bridgeport Port Authority
Class-Action Suit Filed Over Ferry Fees
The first lawsuit against the Bridgeport Port Authority for improperly imposing fees has been filed at federal court in Hartford.
Rob Peragine, of the Adler Law Group LLC in East Hartford, said the lawsuit was filed about 10 days ago on behalf of 10 ferry passengers.
If the court certifies the class action, the plaintiffs would serve as representatives for all ferry passengers seeking to recoup the amount of excessive fees charged by the BPA.
The U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the U.S. District Court's July 2008 ruling that the passenger fee charged since 1993 by the Bridgeport Port Authority to customers of the Bridgeport and Port Jefferson Steamboat Co. was unconstitutional. The fee was overturned as the result of a lawsuit filed by the ferry company against the port authority several years ago.
The ferry company was also joined in the suit by two ferry passengers.
The district court awarded one of the plaintiffs, Greg Rose of D&D Wholesale Flowers, $494.63 in damages. The other plaintiff, Frank Zahradka, withdrew his claim before the suit was over.
Peragine said that decision "opens the door for everyone who has ever taken the ferry in that amount of time to get their money back."
For more information contact:
Adler Law Group, LLC
290 Roberts Street, Suite 101
East Hartford, CT 06108
860-282-8686
