HELL YES THIS IS AN ALL CAPITAL HEADLINE – FINALLY!!
From the office of the DC Attorney General:
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced the first lawsuits filed by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) under new authority granted by the DC Council to bring civil enforcement actions against dangerous drivers with large numbers of unpaid tickets for speeding, reckless driving, and other traffic violations. Under the Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education, and Responsibility (STEER) Act, OAG can hold these drivers accountable for their repeated illegal conduct by securing monetary judgments against them wherever they live, meaning that OAG can sue dangerous drivers who flout District traffic laws even when they live outside the District.
OAG filed today’s lawsuits against:
Andre E. Bowman, who owes the District $36,986 for 135 traffic infractions, including 94 for speeding.
Earl D. Curtis, who owes the District $27,882 for 115 traffic infractions, including 52 for speeding.
Leon L. Carter, who owes the District $30,666 for 84 traffic infractions, including 80 for speeding.
“Traffic deaths in the District are at historic levels – 52 people tragically lost their lives in traffic crashes last year alone. Too many drivers dangerously speed through the District and, as a result, too many District residents don’t feel safe walking in their neighborhoods. Like the three defendants we’ve sued today, many of the drivers wreaking havoc on our streets come from outside DC and have snubbed their noses at our traffic laws,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “I’m grateful to Councilmember Allen for leading the passage of the STEER Act, which gives my office new authority to hold dangerous scoff-law drivers accountable, wherever they live. As DC’s independent Attorney General, I plan to enforce this new law aggressively, making clear that there are consequences for any driver that puts Washingtonians’ lives at risk.”
“Excellent work by DC Attorney General Schwalb to use a new tool created by the STEER Act to go after people who speed and drive recklessly, putting everyone around them at risk,” said Councilmember Charles Allen. “The STEER Act finally gives teeth to our automated traffic cameras. These lawsuits, and the ones to follow, should send a strong message that if you drive dangerously – no matter where you live – we will hold you accountable.”
Lawsuit against Andre Bowman
From August 2013-March 2024, Bowman amassed 135 citations across five different license plates. 94 of them were for speeding—including three for aggravated reckless driving at speeds 30 MPH or more over the speed limit, six for reckless driving at speeds 20 MPH or more over the limit, 17 for driving 16-20 MPH over the limit, and 68 for driving 11-15 MPH over the limit. Bowman has failed to pay the District $36,986 in fines for these violations.
The complaint is available here.
Lawsuit against Earl Curtis
From December 2012-August 2024, Curtis amassed 115 citations across five license plates. In one year alone, Curtis was ticketed 82 times—including 43 tickets for excessive speeding and 14 for other dangerous violations such as running red lights. To date, Curtis has received 72 citations for reckless or dangerous driving, including one for driving 21-25 MPH above the speed limit, 10 for driving 16-20 MPH over the speed limit, 41 for driving 11-15 MPH over the speed limit, and 20 for running red lights. On September 9, 2024, Curtis struck a child in a crosswalk at the intersection of 6th and D Streets, Northeast. The child was transported to a local hospital where she was treated for fractures in her right foot. Curtis has failed to pay the District $27,882 in fines for traffic violations.
The complaint is available here.
Lawsuit against Leon Carter
From June 2013-August 2022, Carter amassed 84 citations across six license plates. 80 of them were for speeding and 19 of them constituted reckless driving at speeds 20 MPH or more over the legal limit. Carter has failed to pay the District $30,666 in fines for these violations.
The complaint is available here.
With these lawsuits, the District is seeking to hold the defendants accountable for their serial violations of the District’s traffic safety laws, collect the money they owe the District, and put a stop to their dangerous, life-threating behavior.
These cases are being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Alexis Hawkins and Jacob Morse under the supervision of Kerslyn Featherstone, Assistant Chief of the Civil Enforcement Section and Kimberly Johnson, Chief of the Civil Enforcement Section within OAG’s Civil Litigation Division.”
From the office of Councilmember Charles Allen:
“The following statement can be attributed to DC Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6), chair of the Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s announcement of three new lawsuits against dangerous drivers using newly granted authority from the STEER Act.“Excellent work by DC Attorney General Schwalb to use a new tool created by the STEER Act to go after people who speed and drive recklessly, putting everyone around them at risk,” said Councilmember Charles Allen. “The STEER Act finally gives our automated traffic enforcement system some teeth. These lawsuits, and the ones to follow, will send a strong message that if you drive dangerously – no matter where you live – we will hold you accountable.”
Councilmember Charles Allen introduced the STEER Act in July 2023 and it was passed unanimously by the DC Council in February 2024.
The law is focused on s accountability from traffic camera tickets, particularly those involving speeding and dangerous driving. In addition to granting the DC Office of the Attorney General the ability to bring a lawsuit against dangerous vehicles, it:
- Created a first-in-the-nation program requiring that drivers convicted of criminal reckless driving in court equip their vehicles with a device limiting how fast they can drive;
- Created a new point system based allowing DPW to immobilize a vehicle based on multiple instances of dangerous driving, not just unpaid tickets. That section of the law has not gone into effect yet;
- Closed information gaps between the DMV and DC Courts to ensure people convicted of DUIs lose their driving privileges. That section of the law has not gone into effect yet;
The law, notably, contains several provisions that apply to drivers no matter what state they reside in.”