Yesterday, we wrote about a New York City woman whose car was impounded and who was fined thousands of dollars after her nephew used her car to — horror of horrors — pick up an abandoned air-conditioner from a city curb. Good news: Both she and her nephew have had the ridiculous fines erased.

The 73-year-old woman’s case was thrown out by a judge yesterday afternoon, meaning she won’t have to pony up $4,000 for having allowed her nephew to use her car.

After getting the good news, she said:

Thank God justice was served… I’m happy the judge did the right thing, but who do I talk to about getting all my wasted time back?

The city should be ashamed of itself for putting a 73-year-old woman with a heart condition through such stress.

Her nephew was also cleared of having to pay the fines after a short hearing before the city’s Environmental Control Board.

Speaking to the judge in the aunt’s case, the Sanitation Dept. officer who busted the man for stealing garbage said he was only doing his job: “My job was to sit and watch and conduct surveillance to see if anyone would come out to take it unauthorized.”

The nephew’s reaction to that statement sums up our thoughts pretty well:

Our city is going bankrupt and we are using our tax dollars to pay these guys to stare at appliances all day… How do I get a job like that?

Judge throws out $4,000 in fines against family cited for taking abandoned AC unit [Daily News]

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