Pennsylvania widow who lost $280,000 house over $6.30 tax debt loses appeal
Published time: April 29, 2014 08:52
A county court in Pennsylvania ruled against a widow who lost her house over a $6.30 late fee. The property was sold for $116,000 to cover the debt, in what the woman argued was an improper move by the authorities.
The home of Eileen F. Battisti, 53, was sold at a September 2011 tax sale to cover the paltry debt, which arose from an interest rate charge on Battisti’s 2009 tax bill. Beaver County auctioned off the house, with an estimated value of $280,000, selling it for $116,000 to SP Lewis.
"I paid everything, and didn't know about the $6.30," she told AP. "For the house to be sold just because of $6.30 is crazy."
Battisti appealed the move, saying she didn’t know she owed the past due charge until she was notified that her home would be sold. Beaver Country court initially denied her evidentiary hearings on the case, but Battisti turned to the Commonwealth Court in Harrisburg, which in August 2013 ordered the county court to review the case.
Last week, County Judge C. Gus Kwidis ruled against Battisti, saying she had been properly notified of her debt and that the sale followed state law. In his six-page order, the judge said the former homeowner is entitled to $108,039 in proceeds from the sale after her tax obligations are met.
more:
http://rt.com/usa/155540-house-sale-paltry-debt/
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