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Ryan O'Donnell, et al. v. City of Chicago, Illinois, et al.

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, No. 24-2946 · judgment December 22, 2025

1%
estimated cert probability
(petition-stage, structural)
GVR risk 1%

Well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.

Questions presented

If a driver has two unpaid parking tickets, the City of Chicago will impound the driver’s vehicle and sell it. The City keeps the sales proceeds without offsetting the ticket debt or refunding the surplus. This practice applies to all vehicles registered to the driver, including vehicles that were never ticketed, and all future vehicles purchased after any infraction. The questions presented are:

  1. Is this practice an unconstitutional taking?

  2. Does the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment place any limit on the ability of a local government to confiscate property under its police power?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Leonard A. Zolna

For respondent
Ross W. Bartolotta
Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 2 conferences

Proceedings

  1. Jul 15 2026
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/28/2026.
  2. Jul 09 2026
    Reply of petitioners Ryan O'Donnell, et al. filed.
    Main DocumentProof of Service
  3. Jul 01 2026
    Brief of City of Chicago in opposition not accepted for filing. (To be corrected - July 06, 2026)
  4. Jul 01 2026
    Brief of respondents City of Chicago, et al. in opposition filed. (Corrected)
    Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
  5. May 22 2026
    Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including July 1, 2026, for all respondents.
  6. May 21 2026
    Motion to extend the time to file a response from June 1, 2026 to July 1, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
    Main Document
  7. Apr 30 2026
    Response Requested. (Due June 1, 2026)
  8. Apr 28 2026
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/14/2026.
  9. Apr 16 2026
    Waiver of right of respondent URT United Road Towing, Inc. to respond filed.
    Main Document
  10. Mar 31 2026
    Waiver of right of respondent City of Chicago to respond filed.
    Main Document
  11. Mar 16 2026
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due April 20, 2026)
    PetitionAppendixProof of Service