Recent rulings by the judge overseeing dozens of putative class actions targeting the operators of booting services in and around Atlanta have moved the cases closer to trial, and cleared the way for plaintiffs attorneys to seek class certification.

The complaints say booting companies and the property owners who hire them have made millions of dollars off of unwary drivers who have been illegally forced to pay to have their cars released from the steel “vehicle immobilization devices,” usually $75 a pop.