Judge's Ruling in Express Lane Case Is Boon to Drivers: Media Report

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A legal victory won this week by a paralegal from Fredericksburg could pave the way for hundreds of commuters to get their fines dismissed for not paying tolls on the Beltway express lanes.

Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Dennis J. Smith dropped four cases against Toni Cooley, who uses the lanes to commute to work in Falls Church, saying the statute of limitations had expired on the cases, the Washington Post reported. She was taken to court by Transurban, the company that operates the I-495 Express Lanes in Northern Virginia.

The company also operates EZ-Pass express lanes that run down the middle of interstate 95.

A lawyer who defends drivers in such cases said about 26,000 summons were issued to express lane violators in Fairfax County last year, the Post reported. Transurban says it’s updating its toll-collection practices in light of the ruling.