Charlotte Klingler, et al. v. Director of Revenue, State of Missouri.
Fred Switzer (now retired) was lead counsel for plaintiffs in a successful class action suit against the State of Missouri. The suit alleged the State of Missouri violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), by charging an annual fee for the use of removable windshield placards that allow disabled persons to park in reserved spaces.
That suit, filed in 1996, was vigorously opposed by Missouri. In 1998, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri granted the plaintiffs’ request for declaratory and injunctive relief, prohibiting Missouri from charging a fee for the placard.
The State appealed, and what followed was a lengthy battle involving three appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and one to the U.S. Supreme Court. Final judgment for the plaintiffs was entered on September 28, 2006, and Missouri now is permanently enjoined from charging a fee for the placard.