Tacoma officer sues Fife, says traffic ticket ruined credit

A Tacoma police lieutenant is suing the city of Fife, claiming a $124 red light camera ticket has ruined his credit.

Lt. Anthony Abuan filed the suit in Pierce county superior court in late December after being photographed at the intersection of 54^th Avenue and 20^th Street in Fife on Jan. 1, 2009. 

In the suit, Abuan claims he had no idea he had been photographed and accused of an infraction. The suit states the ticket for the infraction was mailed to Abuan’s address in Eatonville, but Abuan receives mail at a post office box and not at the home where he lives.

• PDF: Abuan's lawsuit against city of Fife

The suit said Abuan claims the ticket was returned to Fife municipal court, and eventually wound up being turned over to a collection agency without Abuan’s knowledge.

The suit said Abuan was denied due process to contest the infraction and that the unpaid fine and collection attempt ended up on his credit report claiming  he “is now disqualified from eligibility for the lowest interest rates available for such items as his 2010 home refinance loan and his requests for an extension of increased credit limits, which amount to a taking of his property rights without due process of law.”

Abuan is suing for unspecified damages monetary damages as well as “The pain, suffering, embarrassment, both mental and physical, experienced and with reasonable probability to be experienced in the future,” the suit said.

The suit is scheduled for trial in June.