My thought exactly. We have to take anti-money laundering training at work and this ticks all the checkboxes, except that it's in this case the perpetrators fiddled the lawbooks so they could claim it was legal. But this is one big step in the right direction.
It's Oakland County? Of course it is, I was born there and would happily suggest that the law was constructed as a poor attempt to steal property for gentrification.
Not really anymore! We have seen so much corruption by government anymore that this is not surprising! Should be, but that is how far downhill we have gone!
Which part of "Nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation" do they not understand? Now we just need to end Civil Asset Forfeiture.
Oh they understood. They just don’t care what the constitution says. By that action they show that they would rather no law exist that would apply to them. That they hate law, and hate justice, and most of all they hate you. That you would be secure from their power and whim is something they’d take if they could. The idea that the law would apply to others and themselves, is in their eyes, a trifling error in the manifest order of things. An error they wish to correct. Now one might argue stupidity vs. malice. Stupidity is malice. It is the inability for one understand themselves, and their ways, and how they interact with others. To act without consideration for consequence, is a failure to prioritize the pursuit of good or evil when acting. It is malice to choose not to subject your thoughts, ideas, and actions within that context as a matter of course. The simple thinks every idea is good. The fool thinks only their ideas are good. Both of which are malicious choices.
@@patrickpowers5995 Much of the laws over here have their origin in English Common Law, but for some reason ( greed and corruption, most likely) laws that are NOT favorable to the officials financially got lost along the way.
It was one thing when they would confiscate stacks of money, drugs, and guns (because it ended in arrest and conviction would follow), but $780 off of a innocent man driving down the road with no charges and no arrest is outrageous.
This is absurd that the law was even able to be passed and that the first court that it was sound, let alone put into use against people. Absolutely absurd. Civil asset forfeiture isn’t enough for these greedy people, they must take every penny that they even think they can get their hands on.
A lot of city managers, be it in the US of A, or here in my small 30.000 souls small city in Germany, belong in a prison cell. It is the only way they would stop stealing us blind.
One of the HOAs I lived in had a couple that paid cash for their house. Due to the more simple closing, the seller and title company failed to disclose it was in an HOA. The couple was unaware of the monthly dues. The HOA had the actual address of the home that was in the HOA, but they sent collection notices to an apartment that the couple once lived in. It is a gated community and the couple got a token to get through the gate everyday by giving the attendant their address. The gate attendant was well aware that they were not paying dues but never mentioned it. Not knowing they were in a HOA they didn't know they could pick up a key card to get through the gate without a token. The house was foreclosed and the foreclosure documents were sent to the apartment they no longer lived in. The HOA admitted this when asked. They had no excuse for why they did not mail the documents and notices to the actual house that was being foreclosed. I became aware of this right before the house went to auction. The auction was not properly listed and only the HOA showed up at the auction and they bought it for the amount of HOA unpaid dues. Their intent was to keep the house for and sell it. The HOA President was a realtor, how convenient. The couple was an older couple who never lived in a HOA and they didn't even know they existed. A relative passed away and left them enough money to buy the house with cash. This was their retirement home. I got involved and after several unproductive discussions with the HOA board president, I called a lawyer friend of mine who was nice enough to call the board president and the HOA attorney. Again, they admitted that no notice of debt or foreclosure was sent to the actual property. They had to because they were sent certified so it would be very easy to discover. They also admitted that there was no HOA notice signed at the Title Company, after I called the Title company and had them check it. Due to the ridiculous scenario, the HOA agreed to "sell" the house back to the owner for unpaid dues, less any penalties. I was pushing for no dues as they were not aware of them, they were not properly disclosed, and the incompetent way they "didn't" notify the actual owner at the property in question. The owners wanted to pay what was due, less any penalties, and got their house back. I tried to find an enforcement entity that would investigate this situation but the local police, Sheriff's office, and the Constable stated that they could only investigate theft, which this was very close to becoming, or actual assault by a Board or it's members but not any of their other actions. Considering millions of people live in HOAs and there are billions of dollars in properties at risk there should be some form of enforcement to make sure they are following the laws of the state and operating under the governing documents of the HOA. To many HOAs fail to do so with little to no recourse.
Very crazy story and you make a good case for having recourse on failures like this. I wonder if a case could be made that HOAs are local government bodies and as such are subject to rules of law that outline how they must conduct their business.
@@2011blueman The homes under the HOA are co-located with a good sized time share resort. The timeshare owns a golf course, all of the timeshare properties, the entry gate, two lakes, tennis courts, and all of the amenities. It was Silver Leaf to being with but got bought out by Holiday Inn. The sign for the entrance was for the Holiday Inn property. The HOA paid for the upkeep of the amenities in exchange for using them. It would be easy to think that Holiday Inn was paying for gate attendant.
@@txhookey5608 Interest, thanks for the info. I would have never imagined that, and if I ever encountered it I'd NEVER buy a house that is behind a gated entrance controlled by a timeshare company or Holiday Inn. My follow up question would be if the couple ever used the amenities. I'd automatically assume there is an HOA and dues whenever there are amenities, but I'm use to living in HOA hell.
Except when it comes to the right to travel abroad as per the Magna Carta. Now they force you to pay for a passport, and do background checks before you are allowed to "freely" travel abroad. That would be taking a right, turning into a privilege, and charging a fee for it.
I bought my property just shy of 18 months ago and recently got a notice that my property taxes were being increased by about $115 a year. I called the tax assessor's office and ask them what improvements they had offered me with this increased tax money. I inform them that my road is still not paved, I still don't have city water, trash pickup or sanitary sewer so I need to know what they've done to earn my extra money. They reclassified my property as farmland and my taxes are now $20 cheaper per year than my original amount. Sometimes it pays to be the squeaky wheel or the cranky old man. Yeah I'm both of those.
Pays to have multiple homes. They tried to claim it was a state increase. So I asked them why aren't both properties raised then? One went up 2%, the other went up 12%. The 12% got adjusted to 2%.
@@k.chriscaldwell4141 Cook County is very corrupt. I heard when people dispute their property tax assessment the county retaliates against them and in many cases will increase the assessment even more so they will never try to dispute it again. They to instill fear to make people afraid to question them.
My grandfather's property went into probate they sold it to a company for $20,000 6 months after the paperwork was done the resold it for $450,000. It's all a scam
If you felt that the property was worth much more than the $20,000 bid that came via the foreclosure auction, then why would you not have bid more to get it yourself? The subsequent resale amount is somewhat irrelevant, since you didn’t mention how much money was put into it to improve the value (and you wouldn’t know that improvement amount either BTW). Back to the concept of overage. The debt owed was not mentioned, I will just use ZZZ to represent that amount. The overage would be basically equal to the auction bid of $20,000 minus ZZZ (minus some costs to conduct the auction if those costs weren’t included within ZZZ); that overage amount is what the taxing authority should have returned to the foreclosed owner. States where the laws do not automatically pass along the overage to the foreclosed owner IMO do that unconstitutionally, and the court ruling in this video seems to say that it is unconstitutional.
Steve, the video is NOT too long, it is brilliant, fascinating, enlightening coverage of law, history, government arrogance, and the fight for justice. Thank you for this fine service!
I had all the info about the legalities quickly (about 5 minutes, as snaplash said). I may go back later to get the entertainment. I like his stuff, but sometimes don't hear it all out. (He also runs longer if a subject is of greater importance to him.)
The scam is they foreclose on the house sell it to their own business or a business owned by a family member then resell the home for a massive profit.
That isn't the current scam. That's the old scam where you sell the house for only the back taxes to a 'friend' for kickbacks. In this current version of the scam, they can sell the house slightly below market value to anyone and they don't need a kickback because they are just keeping the money. Though obviously you can still sell it to a 'friend' as well.
@@GraemePayne1967Marine 👍👍 there 2 more plus the one I added to this comment makes 10 total. Woohoooo! Now forward to law prof and prophecy fulfilled!
Typically, the county forecloses on the tax delinquent property and if they can’t sell it for a profit anymore…..they’ll just donate it to the local municipality….less the back taxes and all the processing fees and expenses incurred by the county.
All government should have to review all foreclosures and refund the excess funds. I realize that would be an incredible burden on governments but they have imposed incredible burdens on citizens who have had property foreclosed and funds stolen.
That's a good question and Mr Lehto said they'd have to sue. My thought is if statute of limitations apply and if a class action would be possible. It'll also be interesting on how the property value (at time of forfeit) is established, especially since the city sold that house for $1, nor necessarily on the eventual selling cost by the non-profit.
They will have to sue as he mentioned at the end of the video, and in some cases it could succeed in arguing that too much time has passed to do anything about it
I disagree that the videos are to long. The fact that Steve takes the time to explain the law and uses examples helps the non-lawers in this audience to understand the workings of law is a great service to us and as far as I'm concerned, this is GREATLY APPRECIATED. Thank you Steve for all you do.
That's NOTHING. I bet you don't know that SCOTUS has repeatedly ruled government agencies have no legal duty to "serve and protect" the sheep from harm, yet can lie to the sheep and jail/kill the sheep while being pay by the sheep.
Please don't apologize for a video being too long! It takes as long as it takes to explain the issues, the decisions, the meanings, and the consequences. You explain to inform; we listen to learn. Thank you for that! Please keep doing a thorough job, without rushing.
I agree. In my life, I have learned that patience pays in dividends rather than a instant reward. I would rather listen to something being explained for thirty minutes than something summarized in under a minute.
I comment as a British subject, so we get references to rights under Magna Carta in the same way you have "sovereign citizens." In fact, very few terms of the original magna Carta remain as current law, although many clauses were incorporated into new laws. It was heartening to hear a US case refer back to such ancient charters that conveyed rights to citizens. I was impressed with the details uncovered in ancient juris prudence and the whole thing comes together wonderfully. Every respect to the lawyer that did the hard work and congratulations on such a well-argued success.
The association that is buying homes for $1 needs to be investigated. Who owns and works for this association. And what relationship do they have with politicians and the people foreclosing on these homes.
Sounds like something the government set up to launder the property and spend the proceeds on whatever it wants without oversight. I'd bet they are basically an unofficial department of the city government.
I know it was Black Rock that bought up most of the homes/ properties in the 2008 Subprime mortgage heist. Black Rock is a Israeli associated business, has DEEP ties with our US Congress. And it was the company our US GOVT gave complete control of the TRILLIONS of our $$ in that CARES act passed that was supposed to go to help Americans that were losing everything due to their illegal lockdowns. But no telling. There's just so many Corporate Cartels that bribe our legislators.
Where I'm from in KY the people in the city government collude with a private company that flips homes. The city will send fine letters to fix petty things, then start putting leans against the deed/title. If the home owner fails to pay the fines or taxes the city will foreclose on the home, sell it to the private flipper for the amount owed (so they don't have to pay the home owner anything), then get a kickback when the home sells on the open market. It is an open secret here.
What you didn't tell us is the names of the politicians family that are in the association that bought $22,000 of debt for $1 and then sold that $1 bill for $302,000.
The name of the organization suggests it is an unofficial extension of the city government. They can't do something themselves, so they set up a non-profit that does it for them.
Accidentally wotching this a second time without remembering I have seen it before. I blame my 7+ decades of life ... I always love it when a court goes back to Magna Carta to slap down an unjust law! And all the other precedents on the way. Reminds me of some of my Constiutuinal Law classes way back in college. And for the importance of the subject matter, this could have been TWICE as long without being "too long".
Wasn't long ago I was reading about a person who's land tax appraisal from the township was increased even though property values were decreasing at the time, refused to pay the extra and had his land foreclosed on by the township. Then to rub salt in the wound the Township actually had the gall to gloat how they got a $100,000 dollar piece of property on the lake for $1000 dollars. I gave up on the court system when Michigan Supreme court allowed the transitivity called MERS to be able to break the chain of title.
Not basically, is literally robbery. They are stealing money that doesn't belong to them. In any other situation, that would be grounds for charges against someone.
Government had its own benefit by taking and not renumerating balance above what was owed to the person of equity. The crooks want to have their hand in your pocket.
Michigans law is obviously more extreme but , here in Connecticut the late fees and penalties are so punitive that catching up on back property taxes are nearly impossible. I believe it's also the law where of for some reason you don't get a tax bill in the mail, you still owe the tax and are subject to all late fees. From my experience the tax collector has no obligation to work with you either. If a private business had collection policies like this, they would be sued into oblivion.
@@jpnewman1688 I also live in connecticut. We are basically a whole state that’s a suburb of NYC and Boston, with a little Hartford mixed in. We are very deep blue and therefore love government in every way, and do not want to change a thing. 🥰
@@orppranator5230 exactly. I haven't heard anyone running for office talk about reforming this law. The only tax I hear about is out "temporary" income tax.
"You should not ever give credibility to critics wanting a condensed version". Sure there are stories that run long, but it's your show to run as you see fit. I personally like that you take the time to explain all of the subtle complexities of a particular case, kind of like a law professor. Don't change a thing. Please!
Steve this sounds so much like a RICO crime, whereas the individual agents of the government have organized a criminal operation under the color of law.
In Australia in Victoria where I live there used to be a thing where the bank could take your house and sell for money owed ( mortgagees auction ) only that’s how it was back in the 70’s, but the law was changed so now it has to be sold for market value and bank can only keep money owed plus expenses the rest has to be passed back to owner.
Great video - as someone who's worked in the banking industry for decades, I found all the details about the history of mortgages and property rights going back to the Magna Carta absolutely fascinating. I learned the origins of some of the terms that I use dozens of times every day! IMO the video was definitely *not* too long, because I appreciated getting all that detail and context. Also, it probably goes without saying, but it's so obvious that the decision to strike this law down is the right decision. The 6th Circuit very much did the right thing here, and boy did they ever bring their receipts to show why it was the right decision.
There is no short and also comprehensible way that is reasonably even possible that would allow you to be able to adequately first introduce a case and then provide enough additional details for viewers to then be able to comprehend the case law, historical precedence that exists, and then the ruling on that specific case as well as your summary, analysis, and valued opion Steve. The me, me, me, now, now, now demeanor that creates too many people constantly whining in society because of their lack of genuine appreciation, gratitude, and patience is the actual problem. Not the length of your videos which are relatively short and excellent considering the broad array of very complex legal topics you for all of us fortunately choose to share and chime in on. Thanks brother, I sincerly appreciate every minute of what and how you share when you do Steve.
Even if they return the surplus, foreclosing on someone for property tax debt is immoral. The most the State should be allowed to do is put a lien on the property and require payment of taxes due from the proceeds of the sale of the property, but they should never take the property (especially people's homes).
morals are a matter for religion.....and the gov't can't be held accountable to religion. I have heard of Pagans required to take a Christian oath on a Christian bible in courts...and as that goes against the Pagans' religious rights, that oath would be invalid....yet that is the foundation of perjury - violation of that Christian oath.
If someone refuses to pay, there has to be some way of making them, or they would have no reason to pay. You can either take their property, or threaten them with jail, and we decided that debtor's prison shouldn't generally be allowed. There is stuff like garnishing wages, but that only works if they have a job. Requiring that the debt has to reach some percentage of the property's value before it can be foreclosed would be a good limitation, and I'd say the 7% in one of those cases was far too low. And it should also require a lawsuit, where the person receives a summons to court, and not just mailing some warning letter to what might be their address.
Steve, your videos are not too long. Important information cannot always be explained in ten minutes. I even went back to the beginning almost to be sure I was understanding what you were saying. It's also interesting to see how information builds over time. Thank you for explaining these things to us. It is very much appreciated.
Steve I live in Australia and enjoy hearing about the law in the USA. So in my opinion you take, the right amount of time. To tell us about the law. Thank you very much and have a fantastic day. I now know more about the law they, then I do about the law in Australia. I would like it, if someone over here would take the time to explain our laws like you do.
It would be a great world where the lawyers percentage of a settlement is then added as a seperate fee the losing side pays in more cases. Especially class actions where everyone ends up with $10. (looks at settlement check i keep to laugh at from '04)
@@johnbernstein7887 Even if you technically didn't sue, sometimes you do get included in a settlement. Some things like a class action mfg defect case the settlement group could be 'opt out' where everyone who bought the defective product is incuded automatically by default *unless* they opt out. Can you cash it? Possibly, as long as it really is a settlement check. Should you? That's debatable, is $1.06 more valuable to you than the humor of the nearly useless settlement check?
Yes and it's because we're still fighting the same group of people (trying the same type of bullscat) that its writers were fighting when they wrote it
This is NOT too long! It is very important. I live in another country that has similar legal history. Property rights are a very fundamental part of our lives and ability to do business. I'm glad you worked through the legal opinion back to the Magna Carta. That is still a seminal piece of law that underpins our current legal systems. Now I get to face a government that wants to "buy back" personal property of mine that they never sold to me - because they want to. I'm waiting for a class action suit to be established to support and donate to. As citizens we need to constantly push back at the cold, dead hand of government. Great piece.
Not too long! This topic you've chosen to highlight is applicable to every american's constitutional right under the "taking clause" of the 5th ammendment. I believe most american's lives have become so enthralled with day to day tasks and duties they forget why our Constitution was developed in the first place and often are taken advantage of by governmental entities and others! Thank you Steve.
Steve, no need to apologize for the length of your videos. You have some of the best content on law. You present extremely well. I can listen for as long as it take to get the story told. I do go back and listen to previous presentations, they refresh my memory on certain points that are relevant to something else I heard. Thank you for presenting! You must be entertaining at parties and gatherings.. you tell a good story about anything!
Baltimore City had a similar issue about 16 years ago with ground rent. Private parties were buying unpaid ground rents and taking people's homes selling them and keeping all of the proceeds. Most ground rents are less than a $100 per year. The law has since been changed.
The home I am living in was left in tax forclosure in SC and I bid on it in 2018. After the year of waiting. I discovered 5 deeds to the property. No wonder the county could not find the proper owner and the person who they were billing died 2 months after selling. The only true owner did not register his deed before having 7 guys remodel the home. None had a business license or building permit which helped me because when they got caught they all walked away and I bought the home for $12K. Best investment of my life.
The local water district about 30 years ago tried to nab a bunch of houses. They had a GC related to one of the board members lined up to buy the houses "at auction", but somehow, the initial bills, the past-due notices, _and_ the auction notices all got "lost in the mail". Fortunately, the rather underpaid secretary took issue with the obvious corruption, and "resent" all the notices with about a week to spare. She lost her job, and then the whole WD board got tossed in the next election.
@@GraemePayne1967Marine Hardly. I am fairly certain at least one person _did_ miss the last-minute warning, and I believe this was their "exit strategy". They had to know they'd get ousted for the trick, but were likely ready to move on anyway. The problem is there were no further consequences. I'd have to ask my parents if they ultimately managed to nab a house, and defend the ensuing lawsuit, since I was young when this was goign on, and never _understood_ the full details, but I do know there were no penalties (criminal or otherwise) for their attempt.
Your videos are not too long. You explain things in ways everyone can understand. The best teachers I ever had did the very same thing. Keep doing what you doing. Those that think they are too long need a little more patience.
These videos are good to point out the issues with government. However, I bet most viewers will continue to give power to narcissists/sociopaths/psychopaths to rule them then complain about it everyday.
Thank you so much for reporting on this. This is a travesty in Michigan and I know of so many people who have lost their homes because of property taxes and didn't receive a dime!!! ❤❤
When I bought my house the title company didn't transfer my title, I didn't notice for about a year or so until one day I realized I hadn't paid any property taxes yet. My tax statements were being sent to Bank of America out in California who promptly binned them. If I lived in Michigan and hadn't caught it when I did I could have lost by brand new house.
I wouldn't complain about the length of these videos. You can not properly explain things in short. I like your videos. I find a lot of helpful info. Thank you for taking the time to spend, teaching us these things and letting us know our rights.
This was good that you cited the history in the decision. People don't have enough appreciation on how Anglo-American law has evolved over the centuries and how deeply embedded our notion of rights are.
You absolutely did NOT go too long for this topic! Every property owner in the country needs to be aware of this for many reasons. Especially since the Court's references include Magna Carta! (I am a Brit by birth, and an American by choice.)
Pretty sure a lot of politicians are turning various shades of fish belly white , realizing that this particular racket may soon be shut down HARD . At least they still have other avenues of theft available , and , the age old standby's ( " it's for your safety / protection " , " think of the children ", etc .. ) . Old scams are the best scams .
Why would you turn white just because you cannot continue making free money? You still made a bunch of free money. They'd be somewhat disappointed, not afraid. No consequences will befall them, it's America, you barely have laws at all.
This nonsense of conveying the title to another entity to avoid a fair market value sale with payment of equity to the mortgagee/owner must also be stopped. That includes selling it significantly below market value at a “tax auction”. Minimum sale price should be set at 80% of FMV or something of that nature.
If a private person or organization did that, it would be against the law. There are some ways you can get away with it, like shifting around where a business earns income by having subsidiaries paying each other for things like licensing, but other than that, it's usually seen as cheating the laws and courts.
Been waiting for this update since your prior. Video on the subject. Unconscionable is the perfect word to describe this practice as well as civil asset forfeiture. Btw…Your videos are each just as long as they need to be…no complaints here!!
One of the tricks that many government entities use is they send out plain envelop stamp/cancel "notice of legal action" such as with code enforcement. So literally it could sit in the mailbox for a week and the contents of the document inside state a deadline of 7 days from the PRINTING of the document or action will be taken. Their choice to plain-paper the letters makes the letters non-binding warnings and the inclusion of a deadline makes them mail fraud. Love the "non profit" money launderer that made more than 30% of the equity.
Steve; the reason I watch you is because you explain the cases and the laws that apply as well as the court process in a manner that someone like me can understand them. I don't care how long your video is, you still concisely explain everything in a manner that even I, a person with 3 college degrees, am completely overwhelmed by our court systems and laws. So do not change anything, and ignore the idiots and trolls because I appreciate everything you have taught me about our courts, laws, and justice system. I thank you for that.
It sounds to me like a few county tax officers found a way to make money by "Legally stealing" people 's homes by defaulting them on their taxes and buying their house for the amount of taxes owed and selling the house for market value and keeping the balance. This I believe because it happened to me.
It is a horrifying thought that you would need to be constantly on guard because the authority you pay taxes to, have a vested interest in you defaulting. In the UK, the nearest to that if you owed more than £5,000, would be to make you bankrupt. In that case the house would be sold and the money used to clear any debts, if there was a balance, that would be yours.
The county forecloses on the property and auctions it off. It’s almost always an ethics violation for anyone directly involved to bid on the property. If the property owes 40k and sells for 60k, in most cases that 20k goes into the general fund ……but sometimes it’s specific entailed for a specific civic function or simply earmarked for enforcement costs. So if your bank can foreclose on you for not paying your mortgage…..and you loose the house outright. Same should be true with county tax auctions. All this ruling does is say the county can’t pocket the surplus from the sale……so now if you owe 40k, instead of auctioning the property off for 60k and using the surplus to fix some roads…. The county will sell it for 40k and make up the difference by raising everyone’s taxes.
@@grahvis Now think about it for a second….the average time it takes for the county to foreclose on unpaid taxes is 5-10 years. Your average Mom and Pop …that’s probably 20-50k, but larger properties and income generating properties that can run 100-400k…….and the condition of the property is typically such that they are auctioned off as-is, sight unseen. If the county IS allowed to take the equity …… you buy a 200k home and rent it out, fail to pay full taxes (throw a few bucks at it to stall) do no maintenance or upkeep, and you can collect $2,500 a month in rent for 9 years or so before gutting the place and selling off everything a month before foreclosure……the county seizes the property, sells it for less than is owed. If the county can’t take the surplus…maybe you don’t gut it before abandoning it and they have to give you the balance. Either way you made 270k in rent and can walk away on top.
Thanks for bringing this important issue to the light. It really is unconscionable! Government is way out of control. Not just Federal I'm talking State and Local too! Wow never thought I'd see this in all my years.
Gotta love what you are doing in educating the public! I keep sharing the youtubes you make..they are priceless to the people who are affected. Thanks for sharing them!
I'm definitely going to share this case this is very cool. Also makes me wonder about situations like the one that befell a RUclipsr recently Louis rossmann, whereby New York was sending notice of lien to an incorrect address, that he had never been associated with, and then executed warrants and further action against him and his business for taxes he didn't owe in the first place, all set to an out-of-state PO box that he had never been associated with, and according to the postal system had been processed for return to sender.
Thank you Steve. This probably the most interesting and in depth rullings you have ever explained to us. this included precident, history, English and common law, and somehow was a great lesson.
Watched video to end, excellent 👌and I'm a long haul trucker so please feel free to make long videos:) I love how u break down into layman's terms legal issues.
Why are these corrupt city officials not in prison???
Which brings the question: "Should statues of limitations apply to governmental bodies when they use their power to act unconstitutionally?"
When they're trying to launder that title by transferring it 3 times before selling it for a profit you know it's legit.
IMO, yes, just like local CAF, then transfer to state and/or federal
My thought exactly. We have to take anti-money laundering training at work and this ticks all the checkboxes, except that it's in this case the perpetrators fiddled the lawbooks so they could claim it was legal. But this is one big step in the right direction.
Sounds squeaky clean...as all laundering jobs should!
Yeah plus the city manager owning the company that buys the properties is even more troubling.
It's Oakland County? Of course it is, I was born there and would happily suggest that the law was constructed as a poor attempt to steal property for gentrification.
It boggles the mind that a District Court looked at this and said "This is fine."
If you knew HALF of the district judges in MI, it’s not mind boggling at all…
Really? You are surprised by this? Lol.
Guess which party they support
I believe that the legal principle is, *_The law is an ass._*
Not really anymore! We have seen so much corruption by government anymore that this is not surprising! Should be, but that is how far downhill we have gone!
Which part of "Nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation" do they not understand?
Now we just need to end Civil Asset Forfeiture.
MI GA - Only applies to the Federal gov't.../s
Oh they understood. They just don’t care what the constitution says. By that action they show that they would rather no law exist that would apply to them. That they hate law, and hate justice, and most of all they hate you. That you would be secure from their power and whim is something they’d take if they could. The idea that the law would apply to others and themselves, is in their eyes, a trifling error in the manifest order of things. An error they wish to correct.
Now one might argue stupidity vs. malice. Stupidity is malice. It is the inability for one understand themselves, and their ways, and how they interact with others. To act without consideration for consequence, is a failure to prioritize the pursuit of good or evil when acting. It is malice to choose not to subject your thoughts, ideas, and actions within that context as a matter of course. The simple thinks every idea is good. The fool thinks only their ideas are good. Both of which are malicious choices.
I live in the UK and cannot believe that there can be this problem. It's a simple aspect of Common Law here.
@@patrickpowers5995 Much of the laws over here have their origin in English Common Law, but for some reason ( greed and corruption, most likely) laws that are NOT favorable to the officials financially got lost along the way.
It was one thing when they would confiscate stacks of money, drugs, and guns (because it ended in arrest and conviction would follow), but $780 off of a innocent man driving down the road with no charges and no arrest is outrageous.
This is absurd that the law was even able to be passed and that the first court that it was sound, let alone put into use against people. Absolutely absurd. Civil asset forfeiture isn’t enough for these greedy people, they must take every penny that they even think they can get their hands on.
The city managers that did this belong to be in a prison cell
They deserved to be buried under the prison
Someone told me that people who steal go to Hell.
They dont belong IN it. I'd argue they belong UNDER it. 6 feet, preferably
Naw, they deserve to be fined, and all their assets seized and sold for $1 to a shell company to pay that fine.
A lot of city managers, be it in the US of A, or here in my small 30.000 souls small city in Germany, belong in a prison cell. It is the only way they would stop stealing us blind.
One of the HOAs I lived in had a couple that paid cash for their house. Due to the more simple closing, the seller and title company failed to disclose it was in an HOA. The couple was unaware of the monthly dues. The HOA had the actual address of the home that was in the HOA, but they sent collection notices to an apartment that the couple once lived in. It is a gated community and the couple got a token to get through the gate everyday by giving the attendant their address. The gate attendant was well aware that they were not paying dues but never mentioned it. Not knowing they were in a HOA they didn't know they could pick up a key card to get through the gate without a token. The house was foreclosed and the foreclosure documents were sent to the apartment they no longer lived in. The HOA admitted this when asked. They had no excuse for why they did not mail the documents and notices to the actual house that was being foreclosed. I became aware of this right before the house went to auction. The auction was not properly listed and only the HOA showed up at the auction and they bought it for the amount of HOA unpaid dues. Their intent was to keep the house for and sell it. The HOA President was a realtor, how convenient. The couple was an older couple who never lived in a HOA and they didn't even know they existed. A relative passed away and left them enough money to buy the house with cash. This was their retirement home. I got involved and after several unproductive discussions with the HOA board president, I called a lawyer friend of mine who was nice enough to call the board president and the HOA attorney. Again, they admitted that no notice of debt or foreclosure was sent to the actual property. They had to because they were sent certified so it would be very easy to discover. They also admitted that there was no HOA notice signed at the Title Company, after I called the Title company and had them check it. Due to the ridiculous scenario, the HOA agreed to "sell" the house back to the owner for unpaid dues, less any penalties. I was pushing for no dues as they were not aware of them, they were not properly disclosed, and the incompetent way they "didn't" notify the actual owner at the property in question. The owners wanted to pay what was due, less any penalties, and got their house back. I tried to find an enforcement entity that would investigate this situation but the local police, Sheriff's office, and the Constable stated that they could only investigate theft, which this was very close to becoming, or actual assault by a Board or it's members but not any of their other actions. Considering millions of people live in HOAs and there are billions of dollars in properties at risk there should be some form of enforcement to make sure they are following the laws of the state and operating under the governing documents of the HOA. To many HOAs fail to do so with little to no recourse.
Very crazy story and you make a good case for having recourse on failures like this. I wonder if a case could be made that HOAs are local government bodies and as such are subject to rules of law that outline how they must conduct their business.
Who exactly did they think paid for there to be a gate attendant at the front gate?
@@2011blueman The homes under the HOA are co-located with a good sized time share resort. The timeshare owns a golf course, all of the timeshare properties, the entry gate, two lakes, tennis courts, and all of the amenities. It was Silver Leaf to being with but got bought out by Holiday Inn. The sign for the entrance was for the Holiday Inn property. The HOA paid for the upkeep of the amenities in exchange for using them. It would be easy to think that Holiday Inn was paying for gate attendant.
@@txhookey5608 Interest, thanks for the info. I would have never imagined that, and if I ever encountered it I'd NEVER buy a house that is behind a gated entrance controlled by a timeshare company or Holiday Inn. My follow up question would be if the couple ever used the amenities. I'd automatically assume there is an HOA and dues whenever there are amenities, but I'm use to living in HOA hell.
@@txhookey5608 This place didn't happen to be in northeast Texas, did it?
Citing 800-year-old law in your decision is an unbelievably baller move.
Except when it comes to the right to travel abroad as per the Magna Carta. Now they force you to pay for a passport, and do background checks before you are allowed to "freely" travel abroad.
That would be taking a right, turning into a privilege, and charging a fee for it.
@@yoshisaidit7250 You don't need a passport to exit the country.
@@drooplug you do
@@gholland5840 Maybe your country, but not the US.
@@drooplug yes you do in the US.
This was a brutal, brutal, brutal reversal.
The sheer contempt shown to the district court by the federal is hilarious.
how many people wil go to court now to get there money back?
The sheer contempt the state legislators had shown for the Constitution is APPALLING.
It’s little more than the Feds shitting on the State simply because they can.
They should compensate everyone that they did this to. The state being broke are no excuse, pay up.
@henkheemskerk4437 I hope its for their entire lifetime
I bought my property just shy of 18 months ago and recently got a notice that my property taxes were being increased by about $115 a year. I called the tax assessor's office and ask them what improvements they had offered me with this increased tax money. I inform them that my road is still not paved, I still don't have city water, trash pickup or sanitary sewer so I need to know what they've done to earn my extra money. They reclassified my property as farmland and my taxes are now $20 cheaper per year than my original amount. Sometimes it pays to be the squeaky wheel or the cranky old man. Yeah I'm both of those.
In the Chicago area they would have come after you in various ways. You would have paid dearly for that call.
Pays to have multiple homes. They tried to claim it was a state increase. So I asked them why aren't both properties raised then? One went up 2%, the other went up 12%. The 12% got adjusted to 2%.
@@k.chriscaldwell4141 Cook County is very corrupt. I heard when people dispute their property tax assessment the county retaliates against them and in many cases will increase the assessment even more so they will never try to dispute it again. They to instill fear to make people afraid to question them.
Your property may now be worthless if farmland .
Same situation here. In New Mexico, property taxes are based on the last sale price. I lost. My taxes went up exponetially.
This law is a larger version of "Civil Asset Forfeiture" ... Government stealing under the power of law.
It's just shocking how criminal the government is
My grandfather's property went into probate they sold it to a company for $20,000 6 months after the paperwork was done the resold it for $450,000. It's all a scam
then people act suprised when we get heros in kill dozers
Shrink the Government !
@@mikelarry2602 I agree.
@@Fuckyoutubecensorship1 That's why the middle class is shrinking.
If you felt that the property was worth much more than the $20,000 bid that came via the foreclosure auction, then why would you not have bid more to get it yourself?
The subsequent resale amount is somewhat irrelevant, since you didn’t mention how much money was put into it to improve the value (and you wouldn’t know that improvement amount either BTW).
Back to the concept of overage. The debt owed was not mentioned, I will just use ZZZ to represent that amount. The overage would be basically equal to the auction bid of $20,000 minus ZZZ (minus some costs to conduct the auction if those costs weren’t included within ZZZ); that overage amount is what the taxing authority should have returned to the foreclosed owner. States where the laws do not automatically pass along the overage to the foreclosed owner IMO do that unconstitutionally, and the court ruling in this video seems to say that it is unconstitutional.
Steve, the video is NOT too long, it is brilliant, fascinating, enlightening coverage of law, history, government arrogance, and the fight for justice. Thank you for this fine service!
I had all the info about the legalities quickly (about 5 minutes, as snaplash said). I may go back later to get the entertainment. I like his stuff, but sometimes don't hear it all out. (He also runs longer if a subject is of greater importance to him.)
The scam is they foreclose on the house sell it to their own business or a business owned by a family member then resell the home for a massive profit.
DUH!
That isn't the current scam. That's the old scam where you sell the house for only the back taxes to a 'friend' for kickbacks.
In this current version of the scam, they can sell the house slightly below market value to anyone and they don't need a kickback because they are just keeping the money. Though obviously you can still sell it to a 'friend' as well.
They're not even trying to hide it. City manager Frederick E. Zorn owns the company buying and selling the properties
If you didn't pay your property taxes, you have no right to say anything.
@@VideoArchiveGuy Property tax is theft.
Michigan politicians and judges. “Uncivilized” in the truest sense of that word. Good work, Mr. Lehto!
This is going to be in quizzes in law schools: "Which court, in which case, referred to both quantum mechanics and Magna Charta in the same opinion?"
Ten thumbs up!
@@GraemePayne1967Marine 👍👍 there 2 more plus the one I added to this comment makes 10 total. Woohoooo! Now forward to law prof and prophecy fulfilled!
Corruption is rampant these dark days, thanks Steve for reporting the truth.
In a nutshell, the law says "We can steal your house fair and square if you fall behind on your taxes because we said so."
Well, the people who write the laws are also the people who turn a profit. Not a personal profit, but a corporate one.
Typically, the county forecloses on the tax delinquent property and if they can’t sell it for a profit anymore…..they’ll just donate it to the local municipality….less the back taxes and all the processing fees and expenses incurred by the county.
Do prior victims get their equity refunded now? Or will they have to sue?
All government should have to review all foreclosures and refund the excess funds. I realize that would be an incredible burden on governments but they have imposed incredible burdens on citizens who have had property foreclosed and funds stolen.
The SCOTUS a couple of months ago went along with this court and stopped the taking of the excess from a foreclosure.
That's a good question and Mr Lehto said they'd have to sue. My thought is if statute of limitations apply and if a class action would be possible. It'll also be interesting on how the property value (at time of forfeit) is established, especially since the city sold that house for $1, nor necessarily on the eventual selling cost by the non-profit.
They will have to sue as he mentioned at the end of the video, and in some cases it could succeed in arguing that too much time has passed to do anything about it
why would it be an incredibel burden is was not theirs to begin with
@@phlodel
It seems in Michigan that property tax foreclosure is asset forfeiture by another name.
I disagree that the videos are to long.
The fact that Steve takes the time to explain the law and uses examples helps the non-lawers in this audience to understand the workings of law is a great service to us and as far as I'm concerned, this is GREATLY APPRECIATED. Thank you Steve for all you do.
That a governmental agency would justify such horrible predatory conduct is scary.
I agree that it's scary, but it's sadly not actually surprising.
That's NOTHING.
I bet you don't know that SCOTUS has repeatedly ruled government agencies have no legal duty to "serve and protect" the sheep from harm, yet can lie to the sheep and jail/kill the sheep while being pay by the sheep.
You mean like CAF ?
Some of the scariest words in the English language: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you!"
@@cronobactersakazakii5133 CAF ain't NOTHING when government can put a "terrorist" label on anyone then detain the person indefinitely without trial.
Wonderful news!
Being a student of history and knowing your rights prove invaluable when many are trying to rewrite history.
Awesome job 6th district! Now do Civil Asset Forfeiture!
Please don't apologize for a video being too long! It takes as long as it takes to explain the issues, the decisions, the meanings, and the consequences. You explain to inform; we listen to learn. Thank you for that! Please keep doing a thorough job, without rushing.
I listened to every word. No hurry. Deep understanding requires more than a sound bite.
@@waynegnarlie1 👍
I agree. In my life, I have learned that patience pays in dividends rather than a instant reward. I would rather listen to something being explained for thirty minutes than something summarized in under a minute.
I take breaks, watch in 10-15 minute blocks. Maybe watch some else, go take care of business or eat. Then come back.
@@charlesesseltine7054 👍
I comment as a British subject, so we get references to rights under Magna Carta in the same way you have "sovereign citizens." In fact, very few terms of the original magna Carta remain as current law, although many clauses were incorporated into new laws. It was heartening to hear a US case refer back to such ancient charters that conveyed rights to citizens. I was impressed with the details uncovered in ancient juris prudence and the whole thing comes together wonderfully. Every respect to the lawyer that did the hard work and congratulations on such a well-argued success.
The American Bar Association still celebrate the Magna Carta. Has done for a long time.
The association that is buying homes for $1 needs to be investigated. Who owns and works for this association. And what relationship do they have with politicians and the people foreclosing on these homes.
Typical 'interest payment' between government and governmental non-profit org...as the minimum interest has to be 1 USD under law.
Sounds like something the government set up to launder the property and spend the proceeds on whatever it wants without oversight. I'd bet they are basically an unofficial department of the city government.
That was my thought. Some government official’s wife, husband, brother, sister, son, daughter.
I know it was Black Rock that bought up most of the homes/ properties in the 2008 Subprime mortgage heist. Black Rock is a Israeli associated business, has DEEP ties with our US Congress. And it was the company our US GOVT gave complete control of the TRILLIONS of our $$ in that CARES act passed that was supposed to go to help Americans that were losing everything due to their illegal lockdowns.
But no telling. There's just so many Corporate Cartels that bribe our legislators.
@@jame3shook Ya but how does the government selling the home for a dollar, when back taxes are owed, make the government whole?
Sounds like a scam
Where I'm from in KY the people in the city government collude with a private company that flips homes. The city will send fine letters to fix petty things, then start putting leans against the deed/title. If the home owner fails to pay the fines or taxes the city will foreclose on the home, sell it to the private flipper for the amount owed (so they don't have to pay the home owner anything), then get a kickback when the home sells on the open market. It is an open secret here.
What you didn't tell us is the names of the politicians family that are in the association that bought $22,000 of debt for $1 and then sold that $1 bill for $302,000.
That was my first thought
Bingo
Follow the Money?
The name of the organization suggests it is an unofficial extension of the city government. They can't do something themselves, so they set up a non-profit that does it for them.
Accidentally wotching this a second time without remembering I have seen it before. I blame my 7+ decades of life ...
I always love it when a court goes back to Magna Carta to slap down an unjust law! And all the other precedents on the way. Reminds me of some of my Constiutuinal Law classes way back in college. And for the importance of the subject matter, this could have been TWICE as long without being "too long".
Boy are they going to owe a lot of money to the citizens they already stole from.
NAH. Somebody will kiss tRumps ass and he will get his BOY on the supreme court to throw it out. Just you wait and see!
Exactly!! It could easily bankrupt many municipalities!!
Steve the videos are NOT too long, it's great how thoroughly you go through the details!
Wasn't long ago I was reading about a person who's land tax appraisal from the township was increased even though property values were decreasing at the time, refused to pay the extra and had his land foreclosed on by the township. Then to rub salt in the wound the Township actually had the gall to gloat how they got a $100,000 dollar piece of property on the lake for $1000 dollars. I gave up on the court system when Michigan Supreme court allowed the transitivity called MERS to be able to break the chain of title.
video is exactly as long as it needs to be to explain the issue at hand lol. great job!
Totally insane ...this is basically robbery
Not basically, is literally robbery. They are stealing money that doesn't belong to them. In any other situation, that would be grounds for charges against someone.
As evil as people can be, corrupt governments can beat them all.
@@lexsteel12 yes there's a name for a system where the powerful few own everything including the peasantry.
Government=legal mafia
Tax. Government takes money from citizens.
That's tax.
Love the work that Pacific Legal and IJ do to protect individual rights. Great organizations.
How was such an injustice allowed to be carried out for so long?
Government had its own benefit by taking and not renumerating balance above what was owed to the person of equity.
The crooks want to have their hand in your pocket.
Michigans law is obviously more extreme but , here in Connecticut the late fees and penalties are so punitive that catching up on back property taxes are nearly impossible. I believe it's also the law where of for some reason you don't get a tax bill in the mail, you still owe the tax and are subject to all late fees. From my experience the tax collector has no obligation to work with you either. If a private business had collection policies like this, they would be sued into oblivion.
Do you vote?
@@jpnewman1688 I also live in connecticut. We are basically a whole state that’s a suburb of NYC and Boston, with a little Hartford mixed in.
We are very deep blue and therefore love government in every way, and do not want to change a thing. 🥰
That sounds incredibly fucked up...
@@orppranator5230 exactly. I haven't heard anyone running for office talk about reforming this law. The only tax I hear about is out "temporary" income tax.
@@orppranator5230 no worries. There are plenty of sheep in "red states" that love their masters, and don't want to change either. 😂
"You should not ever give credibility to critics wanting a condensed version". Sure there are stories that run long, but it's your show to run as you see fit. I personally like that you take the time to explain all of the subtle complexities of a particular case, kind of like a law professor. Don't change a thing. Please!
Steve this sounds so much like a RICO crime, whereas the individual agents of the government have organized a criminal operation under the color of law.
In Australia in Victoria where I live there used to be a thing where the bank could take your house and sell for money owed ( mortgagees auction ) only that’s how it was back in the 70’s, but the law was changed so now it has to be sold for market value and bank can only keep money owed plus expenses the rest has to be passed back to owner.
Great video - as someone who's worked in the banking industry for decades, I found all the details about the history of mortgages and property rights going back to the Magna Carta absolutely fascinating. I learned the origins of some of the terms that I use dozens of times every day! IMO the video was definitely *not* too long, because I appreciated getting all that detail and context.
Also, it probably goes without saying, but it's so obvious that the decision to strike this law down is the right decision. The 6th Circuit very much did the right thing here, and boy did they ever bring their receipts to show why it was the right decision.
There is no short and also comprehensible way that is reasonably even possible that would allow you to be able to adequately first introduce a case and then provide enough additional details for viewers to then be able to comprehend the case law, historical precedence that exists, and then the ruling on that specific case as well as your summary, analysis, and valued opion Steve. The me, me, me, now, now, now demeanor that creates too many people constantly whining in society because of their lack of genuine appreciation, gratitude, and patience is the actual problem. Not the length of your videos which are relatively short and excellent considering the broad array of very complex legal topics you for all of us fortunately choose to share and chime in on. Thanks brother, I sincerly appreciate every minute of what and how you share when you do Steve.
Even if they return the surplus, foreclosing on someone for property tax debt is immoral. The most the State should be allowed to do is put a lien on the property and require payment of taxes due from the proceeds of the sale of the property, but they should never take the property (especially people's homes).
morals are a matter for religion.....and the gov't can't be held accountable to religion. I have heard of Pagans required to take a Christian oath on a Christian bible in courts...and as that goes against the Pagans' religious rights, that oath would be invalid....yet that is the foundation of perjury - violation of that Christian oath.
If someone refuses to pay, there has to be some way of making them, or they would have no reason to pay. You can either take their property, or threaten them with jail, and we decided that debtor's prison shouldn't generally be allowed. There is stuff like garnishing wages, but that only works if they have a job.
Requiring that the debt has to reach some percentage of the property's value before it can be foreclosed would be a good limitation, and I'd say the 7% in one of those cases was far too low. And it should also require a lawsuit, where the person receives a summons to court, and not just mailing some warning letter to what might be their address.
So you expect narcissists/sociopaths/psychopaths to have moral?
@@Br3ttM too bad government can't create endless fiat MONEY out of NOTHING like bankers can.
@@jpnewman1688 Did you vote?
i did not think your video was too long. you took the time to explain the case and the 18-page judgment really well.
Steve, your videos are not too long. Important information cannot always be explained in ten minutes. I even went back to the beginning almost to be sure I was understanding what you were saying. It's also interesting to see how information builds over time. Thank you for explaining these things to us. It is very much appreciated.
Steve I live in Australia and enjoy hearing about the law in the USA. So in my opinion you take, the right amount of time. To tell us about the law. Thank you very much and have a fantastic day. I now know more about the law they, then I do about the law in Australia. I would like it, if someone over here would take the time to explain our laws like you do.
Pacific Legal and attorneys involved, great job working for homeowners! Hope they get their money back!
It would be a great world where the lawyers percentage of a settlement is then added as a seperate fee the losing side pays in more cases. Especially class actions where everyone ends up with $10.
(looks at settlement check i keep to laugh at from '04)
With interest, I hope. When its the other way. There are always late charges and penalties 🙄
@@UmmmmmmmWhat I just got a settlement check for 1.06! Of course I didn't sue, but should I cash it?
@@johnbernstein7887 Even if you technically didn't sue, sometimes you do get included in a settlement. Some things like a class action mfg defect case the settlement group could be 'opt out' where everyone who bought the defective product is incuded automatically by default *unless* they opt out.
Can you cash it? Possibly, as long as it really is a settlement check.
Should you? That's debatable, is $1.06 more valuable to you than the humor of the nearly useless settlement check?
@@UmmmmmmmWhat Well with inflation, it might be in my best interest to cash it before I end up owing them money!
The people absolutely need to standup and make changes happen
Our government is out of control! Enough
It's astonishing how often the Magna Carta comes up.
Yes and it's because we're still fighting the same group of people (trying the same type of bullscat) that its writers were fighting when they wrote it
It's never too long if it's educational. Thank you for shining a light on this subject.
This is NOT too long! It is very important. I live in another country that has similar legal history. Property rights are a very fundamental part of our lives and ability to do business. I'm glad you worked through the legal opinion back to the Magna Carta. That is still a seminal piece of law that underpins our current legal systems. Now I get to face a government that wants to "buy back" personal property of mine that they never sold to me - because they want to. I'm waiting for a class action suit to be established to support and donate to. As citizens we need to constantly push back at the cold, dead hand of government. Great piece.
Do worry about what people say about how long your videos are. I learn from you in every video. Thank you for teaching me.
I for one appreciate your indepth coverage of these kinds of stories. Thanks!
I realize that sometimes your descriptions may take longer than you wish, but better longer than unclear.
I wish there was some way to punish government bodies for flagrant violation of the constitution. Or allow the citizens to sue for damages.
This was a breath of fresh air! Makes me happy to hear individual liberties still hold some weight.
Not too long! This topic you've chosen to highlight is applicable to every american's constitutional right under the "taking clause" of the 5th ammendment.
I believe most american's lives have become so enthralled with day to day tasks and duties they forget why our Constitution was developed in the first place and often are taken advantage of by governmental entities and others!
Thank you Steve.
Steve, no need to apologize for the length of your videos. You have some of the best content on law. You present extremely well. I can listen for as long as it take to get the story told. I do go back and listen to previous presentations, they refresh my memory on certain points that are relevant to something else I heard. Thank you for presenting!
You must be entertaining at parties and gatherings.. you tell a good story about anything!
Baltimore City had a similar issue about 16 years ago with ground rent. Private parties were buying unpaid ground rents and taking people's homes selling them and keeping all of the proceeds. Most ground rents are less than a $100 per year. The law has since been changed.
The home I am living in was left in tax forclosure in SC and I bid on it in 2018. After the year of waiting. I discovered 5 deeds to the property. No wonder the county could not find the proper owner and the person who they were billing died 2 months after selling. The only true owner did not register his deed before having 7 guys remodel the home. None had a business license or building permit which helped me because when they got caught they all walked away and I bought the home for $12K. Best investment of my life.
Wonder how much the people who ended up with the properties paid to politicians to get such a sweetheart deal?
The local water district about 30 years ago tried to nab a bunch of houses. They had a GC related to one of the board members lined up to buy the houses "at auction", but somehow, the initial bills, the past-due notices, _and_ the auction notices all got "lost in the mail". Fortunately, the rather underpaid secretary took issue with the obvious corruption, and "resent" all the notices with about a week to spare. She lost her job, and then the whole WD board got tossed in the next election.
They got caught -- and paid the price! With luck, maybe they learned not to do bad things.
@@GraemePayne1967Marine Hardly. I am fairly certain at least one person _did_ miss the last-minute warning, and I believe this was their "exit strategy". They had to know they'd get ousted for the trick, but were likely ready to move on anyway. The problem is there were no further consequences.
I'd have to ask my parents if they ultimately managed to nab a house, and defend the ensuing lawsuit, since I was young when this was goign on, and never _understood_ the full details, but I do know there were no penalties (criminal or otherwise) for their attempt.
It boggles my mind that this had to go as far as it did before it was struck down.
Your videos are not too long. You explain things in ways everyone can understand. The best teachers I ever had did the very same thing. Keep doing what you doing. Those that think they are too long need a little more patience.
These videos are good to point out the issues with government.
However, I bet most viewers will continue to give power to narcissists/sociopaths/psychopaths to rule them then complain about it everyday.
@@jpnewman1688 Did you vote?
Sometimes I listen to them on x2 speed when they are long, they are more dramatic, sometimes exiting 😁
I sigh with pleasure, and don my headphones.
Thank you so much for reporting on this. This is a travesty in Michigan and I know of so many people who have lost their homes because of property taxes and didn't receive a dime!!! ❤❤
When I bought my house the title company didn't transfer my title, I didn't notice for about a year or so until one day I realized I hadn't paid any property taxes yet. My tax statements were being sent to Bank of America out in California who promptly binned them. If I lived in Michigan and hadn't caught it when I did I could have lost by brand new house.
I wouldn't complain about the length of these videos. You can not properly explain things in short. I like your videos. I find a lot of helpful info. Thank you for taking the time to spend, teaching us these things and letting us know our rights.
This was good that you cited the history in the decision. People don't have enough appreciation on how Anglo-American law has evolved over the centuries and how deeply embedded our notion of rights are.
You absolutely did NOT go too long for this topic! Every property owner in the country needs to be aware of this for many reasons. Especially since the Court's references include Magna Carta! (I am a Brit by birth, and an American by choice.)
Fabulous explanation and fabulous decision! Wish more legislators and judges would read the Constitution.
THIS VIDEO IS NOT TOO LONG!!!!!
It’s been so informative that any persons saying it was not worth the time is just nuts!!!
THIS WAS EDUCATIONAL!
Pretty sure a lot of politicians are turning various shades of fish belly white , realizing that this particular racket may soon be shut down HARD .
At least they still have other avenues of theft available , and , the age old standby's ( " it's for your safety / protection " , " think of the children ", etc ..
) . Old scams are the best scams .
Why would you turn white just because you cannot continue making free money? You still made a bunch of free money. They'd be somewhat disappointed, not afraid. No consequences will befall them, it's America, you barely have laws at all.
No man's life or property is safe while the legislature is in session. - Mark Twain
Your videos aren't too long. You explain very complicated matters and provide dummy proof explanations, we appreciate it!
Foreclosure Windfall is a crime! Your extended blurb was good to the very end. Cheers!
This nonsense of conveying the title to another entity to avoid a fair market value sale with payment of equity to the mortgagee/owner must also be stopped. That includes selling it significantly below market value at a “tax auction”. Minimum sale price should be set at 80% of FMV or something of that nature.
If a private person or organization did that, it would be against the law. There are some ways you can get away with it, like shifting around where a business earns income by having subsidiaries paying each other for things like licensing, but other than that, it's usually seen as cheating the laws and courts.
Great to know . I will be watching to see how this goes. For the people. Thank you for putting this in the public eye. Take care.
Don't you just love the Magna Carta. Puts a stop to kleptocratic rule. Thanks for reporting on this. This video was exactly the right length.
Been waiting for this update since your prior. Video on the subject. Unconscionable is the perfect word to describe this practice as well as civil asset forfeiture.
Btw…Your videos are each just as long as they need to be…no complaints here!!
No video is too long when the content is interesting and informative!!
Please keep up the good work.
Thank you
Never too long. Really appreciate the history lesson.
One of the tricks that many government entities use is they send out plain envelop stamp/cancel "notice of legal action" such as with code enforcement. So literally it could sit in the mailbox for a week and the contents of the document inside state a deadline of 7 days from the PRINTING of the document or action will be taken. Their choice to plain-paper the letters makes the letters non-binding warnings and the inclusion of a deadline makes them mail fraud.
Love the "non profit" money launderer that made more than 30% of the equity.
Steve; the reason I watch you is because you explain the cases and the laws that apply as well as the court process in a manner that someone like me can understand them. I don't care how long your video is, you still concisely explain everything in a manner that even I, a person with 3 college degrees, am completely overwhelmed by our court systems and laws. So do not change anything, and ignore the idiots and trolls because I appreciate everything you have taught me about our courts, laws, and justice system. I thank you for that.
My uncle and I get each other’s mail constantly including tax info. It’s super frustrating.
Wow! I'm impressed by the 6th circuit. I never cease to be amazed and disheartened by the greed and corruption endemic in our "elected" government.
It sounds to me like a few county tax officers found a way to make money by "Legally stealing" people 's homes by defaulting them on their taxes and buying their house for the amount of taxes owed and selling the house for market value and keeping the balance. This I believe because it happened to me.
It is a horrifying thought that you would need to be constantly on guard because the authority you pay taxes to, have a vested interest in you defaulting.
In the UK, the nearest to that if you owed more than £5,000, would be to make you bankrupt. In that case the house would be sold and the money used to clear any debts, if there was a balance, that would be yours.
The county forecloses on the property and auctions it off. It’s almost always an ethics violation for anyone directly involved to bid on the property. If the property owes 40k and sells for 60k, in most cases that 20k goes into the general fund ……but sometimes it’s specific entailed for a specific civic function or simply earmarked for enforcement costs.
So if your bank can foreclose on you for not paying your mortgage…..and you loose the house outright. Same should be true with county tax auctions.
All this ruling does is say the county can’t pocket the surplus from the sale……so now if you owe 40k, instead of auctioning the property off for 60k and using the surplus to fix some roads…. The county will sell it for 40k and make up the difference by raising everyone’s taxes.
@@grahvis Now think about it for a second….the average time it takes for the county to foreclose on unpaid taxes is 5-10 years. Your average Mom and Pop …that’s probably 20-50k, but larger properties and income generating properties that can run 100-400k…….and the condition of the property is typically such that they are auctioned off as-is, sight unseen.
If the county IS allowed to take the equity …… you buy a 200k home and rent it out, fail to pay full taxes (throw a few bucks at it to stall) do no maintenance or upkeep, and you can collect $2,500 a month in rent for 9 years or so before gutting the place and selling off everything a month before foreclosure……the county seizes the property, sells it for less than is owed. If the county can’t take the surplus…maybe you don’t gut it before abandoning it and they have to give you the balance. Either way you made 270k in rent and can walk away on top.
Thanks for bringing this important issue to the light. It really is unconscionable! Government is way out of control. Not just Federal I'm talking State and Local too! Wow never thought I'd see this in all my years.
Steve, I really appreciate the legal theory and history in the video. I hope to see more of it soon, thanks.
Absolutely wonderful video, thanks so much for doing it.
Gotta love what you are doing in educating the public! I keep sharing the youtubes you make..they are priceless to the people who are affected. Thanks for sharing them!
I'm definitely going to share this case this is very cool. Also makes me wonder about situations like the one that befell a RUclipsr recently Louis rossmann, whereby New York was sending notice of lien to an incorrect address, that he had never been associated with, and then executed warrants and further action against him and his business for taxes he didn't owe in the first place, all set to an out-of-state PO box that he had never been associated with, and according to the postal system had been processed for return to sender.
Thank you Steve. This probably the most interesting and in depth rullings you have ever explained to us. this included precident, history, English and common law, and somehow was a great lesson.
Outrageous! I can't imagine the billing on this! Thanks Steve!
Fantastic. Finally a reaffirmation from the courts that we really are citizens with rights. I was beginning to wonder.
Watched video to end, excellent 👌and I'm a long haul trucker so please feel free to make long videos:) I love how u break down into layman's terms legal issues.
I don't mind the length of your videos at all. I actually appreciate it when you go in depth explain the details of various cases & topics. Thank you.
Hands down, this channel is the best educational, informative, fun and very clean.
Thank you very much Mr. Lehto for all you do.