Angry Turnpike Users Lose For Third Time In Court

Massachusetts Turnpike users who feel its operators have illegally divertied tolls from the east-west road to pay for the north-south Central Artery project have lost in court for a third time.

An Appeals Court judge on Monday upheld a lower court judge’s finding, saying he “issued a thorough opinion.”

Middlesex Superior Court Judge Herman Smith Jr. had previously denied a request for a restraining order to prevent tolls from being diverted to the Big Dig.

The plaintiffs are represented by class-action lawsuit specialist Jan Schlichtmann. He became famous in the 1998 film “A Civil Action,” which focused on his work on behalf of Woburn residents fighting a chemical company.