The Supreme Court ruled that a Minnesota county wronged a grandmother when it forced the sale of her condominium over an unpaid tax debt and kept the sale proceeds that far exceeded the tax she owed.
Critics call such a practice “home equity theft.”
The case came after Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) released a report late last year saying that 12 states and the District of Columbia allow local governments and private investors to seize dramatically more than what is owed from homeowners who fall behind on property tax payments.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the court’s opinion (pdf) in Tyler v. Hennepin County, Minnesota, court file 22-166, which was issued on May 25….