Posted on 04/28/2014 5:32:19 PM PDT by Olog-hai
A widow was given ample notice before her $280,000 house was sold at a tax auction three years ago over $6.30 in unpaid interest, a Pennsylvania judge has ruled.
The decision last week turned down Eileen Battisti’s request to reverse the September 2011 sale of her home outside Aliquippa in western Pennsylvania.
“I paid everything, and didn’t know about the $6.30,” Battisti said. “For the house to be sold just because of $6.30 is crazy.” …
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
In a courthouse full of lawyers who make $100+ dollars per hour, no one considered taking $6 from their wallet to make this problem go away?
You’re talking about Pennsylvania. That should explain a lot.
Hope lightning strikes the house after she moves out.
Burn Baby Burn!
Some politicians, attorneys and judges are just plain shitheads.
Well, it was a courtroom full of lawyers. Did you expect better?
I know of a county Trustee who used to do just that. Elderly farmers etc came in a few dollars short and he said don't worry about it and put the money in. Now there are corrupt hawks just waiting to grab an "opportunity" as they like to call it.
A little true story about payments. I dropped dead of cardiac arrest on Aug. 11, 2009. Was revived but in a coma for almost a week. Awoke in pretty good condition but not able to read much for a good while.
Got a call at home a few weeks later from my Mortgage Company asking me why I hadn’t paid the month’s loan.
Told him that I had died and was in recovery. He didn’t seem to understand that I was in no condition to deal with it. When he asked if I was going to send the payment in immediately, I politely told him to go fuck himself and that I would send it in when I was physically able. And that I was going to talk to his superior and tell them what an asshole he was.
Didn’t get another phone call. Did send in the check a little later with an explanation. No problems after that.
“In a courthouse full of lawyers who make $100+ dollars per hour, no one considered taking $6 from their wallet to make this problem go away?”
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It is likely that one of those lawyers and/or a crony of the judge or one of those lawyers was the person who stole the widow’s $260,000 house for $166,000.
Shakespeare was right; first get rid of the lawyers.
If I were the judge I would have pulled 7 bucks out of my pocket and said “case closed” You can have your house back Ma’am.
Just wow! 6 lousy bucks! This stinks to high heaven!
I don’t care how long it was that she didn’t pay $6. And first class mail only? Not something more official than that? How about they hand her the notice in person, like you would get with an arrest warrant?
Common sense is sorely lacking, and we are screwed because of it.
In person? You know that you are talking about government employee. You want them to get off their fat butts and do something, are you crazy. Whoever runs this department should be fired for being so stupid that they allowed this to ever happen.
Let me tell you something: It would serve everyone here in their best interest with property rights to learn the lien process in their county.
Some of you may have no idea. Mine is below (redacted for the sake of public comment):
Notice of lien may be issued by the Tax Administrator or his or her deputy whenever the operator is in default in the payment of said tax, interest and penalty and shall be recorded with XXXXXX County and a copy sent to the delinquent operator. The personal property subject to such lien seized by any deputy or employee of the Tax Administrator may be sold by the Department seizing the same at public auction after 10 days notice which shall mean one publication in a newspaper of general circulation published within the County.That's ALL that the Code says about property tax lien notifications in MY county.
So, y'all tell me...without knowing the code in the subject County, let alone your own County, is it fair to be judgmental against these folks???
I hope lightening strikes the judge.
There is a reckoning coming...
One more pertinent thing about that county code I posted:
My mailman is dyslexic; I get my neighbor’s mail with regularity.
However, I know for a fact that some mail never gets to me and said neighbor NEVER brings me mail.
I don’t trust my County; neither should you.
How about a little commonsense, if not justice?
Call Guido, para la familia......
Texas had to pass a law in the past few years because home owner’s associations had the right to foreclose for unpaid dues, and were doing so for a few hundred dollars. In some cases, the letters were addressed to dead spouses and assumed to be meeting notices or “please come to the block party” and ignored until elderly women were kicked out of their homes for $300-$600 in unpaid dues.
They do that here too,
I always pay mine.
“Battisti, who still lives in the house, said Monday that she plans to appeal to Commonwealth Court”
IRS agents storm California car wash — to collect 4 cents
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/03/13/90329/irs-agents-storm-sacramento-car.html#storylink=cpy
Foreclosure 101 in Texas is that IF you buy a house at foreclosure your purchase is not final for 30 days so that the person foreclosed on can have time to “redeem” the home through whatever means that may become possible him/her.
I would say too that ANYBODY at a Texas Foreclosure Sale would GIVE this woman $6.30. Something is not right about this story.
Amendment VIIIExcessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
As I posted earlier, what happened to her 8th amendment protection against excessive, cruel or unusual punishment?
Seizing a quarter million dollar home over a six dollar debt seems to be very excessive punishment to me.
-PJ
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