WASHINGTON — Evidently, $81,000 in fines isn’t too much to pay for a repeat offender in Fairfax County.
Virginia Lawyers Weekly reports Sara Hagarty will next be in court May 31, after a Fairfax County circuit judge ruled penalties related to unpaid tolls on the Dulles Toll Road do not represent an unconstitutional burden.
Both the U.S. and Virginia constitutions prohibit excessive fines.
Hagerty’s attorney tells WTOP he’s asked for a jury to decide the matter. David Bernhard says Hagarty’s alleged violations represent about $236 in unpaid tolls of $1 to $1.75 each.
Penalties, unpaid fees and court costs related to those charges add up to $81,325.
Bernhard also represents a driver who is appealing a fine of $1,000 for failing to pay a 55-cent toll in the Fairfax County HOV Lanes.
That case is in the process of being dismissed, Bernhard says.
