The timing of the yellow phase of the lights may be illegally short, the suit contends.
Erin Patterson Gill, deputy solicitor for Cherry Hill, said the township had not received the lawsuit and could not comment on it. She said the township "is confident that it has satisfied all [Department of Transportation] requirements."
Cherry Hill, Glassboro, Stratford, Monroe, and 17 other New Jersey towns were ordered this month by the state Transportation Department to halt ticketing with red-light cameras until the timing of the cameras and lights could be certified as meeting state requirements.
The lights may not have a sufficiently long yellow phase to meet state requirements under a pilot program permitting 25 towns to install red-light cameras, the department said.
The lawsuit seeks a court-supervised program of auditing and refunds to make sure motorists get their money back, if a judge accepts Osefchen's arguments.
"I'm not saying red-light cameras are illegal or unconstitutional," Osefchen said Friday. "But if the law says you have to do inspections and certifications every six months, you ought to do them."
The towns ordered to suspend their red-light cameras have said they expect to certify that their cameras comply with state law and resume issuing tickets.
But Osefchen said that even if the cameras are properly certified in the future, motorists caught previously should get their money back.
Red-light cameras have been controversial - and lucrative - since New Jersey started the pilot program in 2009 to test their effectiveness in reducing crashes and injuries in 25 municipalities.
A recent Inquirer report showed cameras at nine intersections in six municipalities in Camden and Gloucester Counties had caught 125,000 drivers and racked up $9.5 million in fines since the first installations in 2010.
