(ST. LOUIS, MO)–Over two years after filing the class action lawsuit Christina Reise, et al. v. City of Calverton Park, et al., the federal court has preliminarily approved a $465,000 settlement to be distributed to over 100 people whose vehicles were towed at the direction of Calverton Park and who then had to pay hundreds of dollars to the City as an unauthorized “Special Tax Bill.” In addition to the financial compensation to class members, the settlement also requires Calverton Park to do three things: (1) amend its nuisance ordinances to stop categorizing vehicles as “derelict” or a “nuisance” simply because their license plates are expired or missing, (2) limit how much the City can charge residents for “Special Tax Bills”; and, (3) ensure that a resident who attends a towing hearing is able to make their case to a neutral party.
Read the full court order here.
“I’m glad they stopped Calverton Park because Calverton Park was really outrageous. I’m glad they can’t tow people’s cars the way they did us,” said Sharon Jones, a plaintiff of the suit. “ArchCity showed out and did what they had to do for us, and we got justice.”
“We are extremely proud of our clients who bravely challenged these practices,” said Brianna Coppersmith, a Staff Attorney with ArchCityDefenders. “We are glad this settlement will allow class members to recoup the unjust costs they paid and that the City’s ordinances have changed, effectively ending this pernicious towing cycle.”
The original lawsuit was filed by ArchCity Defenders on October 23, 2023, seeking damages on behalf of plaintiffs who alleged Calverton Park violated their constitutional rights through its scheme of towing vehicles with expired or missing license plates from private driveways. The City claimed that, simply because the vehicles had expired license tags or no license plates, that they were “derelict” and a danger to public health and safety—even though the vehicles were parked on residents’ private property. Class members were typically not given any warning prior to their vehicles being towed and had no opportunity to challenge the tow.
In practice, this often meant residents returned home to find their vehicles missing from their driveways or looked outside their front window to see city officials, along with a private towing company the City hired, towing their vehicles away. Residents were left confused and with only one way to get their vehicles back: pay hundreds of dollars in towing and storage fees to the tow company, plus a “Release Fee” to Calverton Park. Many residents could not afford to get their cars back and lost them forever. Then, whether or not the resident could afford to release their vehicle, the City would then send the resident a “Special Tax Bill,” often in the amount of hundreds of dollarsthe person was required to pay. The lawsuit alleged these fines were excessive and unconstitutional.
“Calverton Park put our clients in an impossible position of having to scrape together hundreds or thousands of dollars, all without having the very cars they relied on to get to work and make a paycheck,” said Maureen Hanlon, a Managing Attorney at ArchCity Defenders.
The lawsuit also claimed that Calverton Park Code Enforcement Officer Sean Gibbons instigated the tows by submitting misleading warrant applications, all without notifying the owners in advance or holding a hearing where vehicle owners could challenge an impending tow.
Since filing the lawsuit, Sean Gibbons has been promoted to Director of Public Works in Calverton Park, where he continues to work in code enforcement. He also has begun working in code enforcement in at least one other area, the City of Bel-Nor.
The issue came to light in May 2023 when Christina Reise, a mother of two boys, noticed her car was towed from her driveway. Her car hadtemporary tags that had expired two months prior. Ms. Reise had been saving money to afford the $2,000 in state vehicle taxes required to obtain current plates when her vehicle was taken by Calverton Park. She was forced to spend the money she’d saved on the unlawful Special Tax Bill, the Release Fee, and the towing and storage fees charged by the private tow yard.
Even though Calverton Park’s ordinances require notice, a hearing, and a period of time to address the alleged nuisance, Calverton Park did not follow those requirements before seizing and towing away Ms. Reise’s vehicle. This compounded her financial problems and caused a great deal of stress.
Ms. Reise went to the news, and many other residents came forward to share their own stories of their vehicles being towed from their driveways. Along with Ms. Reise, the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Michael White, Sharon Jones, Alan Miller, and Jessica Smith.
Individuals who believe they may be classified members may fill out a claims form online at calvertonparkclassaction.com. Individuals who have questions about this settlement and/or wish to have a Claim Form sent to them may call 1-800-792-1466.
Since 2014, ArchCity Defenders has filed 58 lawsuit challenging civil rights abuses throughout the St. Louis region and across Missouri. As of April 2026, thirteen cases remain pending. In total, defendants have had to pay $31.7 million in monetary damages to thousands of people impacted by systemic abuses sanctioned by local governments through their systems of police, courts, and jails.
ArchCity Defenders remains active in combatting state violence and the criminalization of poverty; and continues to investigate unlawful practices in other municipalities.
Media Contact:
Z Gorley, Director of Communications, ArchCity Defenders
(314) 898-8185 | zgorley@archcitydefenders.org