Speeding tickets and dates just don’t mix – ask Evangelina Paredes.
The single mom was driving through Stickney, Ill. in October when Officer Chris Collins issued her a ticket. She put the encounter behind her, only to be reminded of it two days later.
Collins had located her apartment complex and left a note on her car. In it he asked her out on a date.
She’s now suing Collins and the Stickney police force, claiming invasion of privacy.
The note, which was reprinted in court filings, included these prime snippets:
Though a $132 refund would have been nice, the note scared Evangelina Paredes. She was concerned that Collins would stalk her, according to the New York Daily News. She thus sought legal advice.
- “It’s Chris I’m that ugly bald Stickney cop who gave you a ticket…”
- “I have not stopped thinking about you…”
- “I don’t expect a girl as attractive as you to … go for a guy like me but I’m taking a shot anyway.”
- “I did cost you $132 least I can do is buy you dinner.”
The lawsuit is premised on the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994, which limits access to and use of driving records. Personal information maintained by state Departments of Motor Vehicles can only be used for government business; in connection with recalls, research, litigation and insurance; and to verify personal information provided by employees.
Persons who use the information for other purposes – such as asking a woman out on a date – are subject to civil and criminal action under the law. In the end, Chris Collins may actually end up spending a lot more on Evangelina Paredes than he intended.
Related Resources:
- Lawsuit: Cop issues ticket, asks for date (Associated Press)
- Invasion of Privacy (FindLaw)
- DMV Sued by Transgender Woman Over Privacy (FindLaw’s Law & Daily Life)
You Don’t Have To Solve This on Your Own – Get a Lawyer’s Help
Civil Rights
Block on Trump’s Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court
Criminal
Judges Can Release Secret Grand Jury Records
Politicians Can’t Block Voters on Facebook, Court Rules
