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City Hall Bills Cabbie $10,000 After Lawsuit Dismissed

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago cab driver who sued the city in an effort to get cabbies classified as government employees has been slapped with a $10,000 bill for the city's legal costs.

"That was a big shock," Melissa Callahan said.

Her federal lawsuit against the City of Chicago was dismissed in a summary judgment in January.

According to Callahan, after she filed a notice of appeal in February, City Hall sent her a bill for $10,633.66 for the city's court costs.

"I knew it was a risk, but I didn't think that the city would actually ask me for costs, especially considering they probably paid a huge amount of money to a private law firm that they've hired to defeat my claims to earn the minimum wage," she said. "You know, I have my opinions about it. I think it does seem vindictive, to me. It may be more than a coincidence that they waited until after I filed the notice of appeal to file the bill of costs."

Callahan said she's pressing on with her appeal.

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If her lawsuit ultimately is successful, Callahan said cab drivers would be entitled to earn minimum wage, if a judge declares that they're employees of the City of Chicago. For now, cab drivers must rely on driving long enough each day to get sufficient fares to cover their out-of-pocket expenses – like gas, leases, and upkeep – before making any profit.

Cabbies have argued the low meter rate the city allows cabs to charge is not enough to cover the lease rate drivers must pay to their company. Cab drivers also generally have to pay for their own fuel, airport taxes, and other basic expenses.

Callahan said she can't pay the $10,000 bill from the city.

"I don't know if there's anything behind that, but I think that it's a horrible move by the city of Chicago. I think that it's a shame that when you fight for minimum wage you're penalized," she said.

She was financing the suit, in part, by selling Chicago cabbie beefcake calendars.

"I have to get my models back lined up for more calendars, I suppose," she joked. "Lots of calendars and lots of cab rides that I'll need to start working on in order to pay for $10,000."

Callahan was hoping to raise funds to pay the bill at cabbiesforjustice.com.

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