Property Rights

On February 25, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Pung v. Isabella County, the latest legal challenge to the practice of home equity theft to reach the high court. Pacific Legal Foundation's fight to end home equity theft began in 2015 and has already included a victory at the U.S. Supreme Court. But the Pung case presents a que ...

On Wednesday, PLF heads back to the Supreme Court to continue the fight against home equity theft and protect property owners' right to just compensation. Pung v. Isabella County began with a disputed tax bill and ended with loss of a treasured family home and $118,000 in equity. Mike Pung was managing the estate of his late nephew, Scott, which ...

In the autumn of 2025, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in the first case since the 1980s to address the amount of "just compensation" the government is required by the Constitution to provide when it takes private property. In Pung v. Isabella County, Michigan, the government confiscated a family's home for failing to pay a tax they were exemp ...

During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show, YouTube legend Mr. Beast told host Jimmy Fallon about the time a bald eagle derailed the filming of one of his videos. The majestic bird did not disrupt the production by swooping in front of the camera or drowning out the dialogue with its signature high-pitched whistle. No. The only hindrance was th ...

At Pacific Legal Foundation, we're leading the charge against home equity theft—a practice where local governments seize far more than what a property owner owes in taxes. Few fight as passionately as PLF Senior Attorney Christina Martin, who has spent more than a decade defending homeowners nationwide. On this episode of American Heroes, ...

In 1606, Britain was in a state of perpetual defense. The nearly 20-year Anglo-Spanish war had finally ended two years prior, and the Crown was eager to rebuild his now-depleted resources. If the war had taught him anything, it was how quickly England could be attacked. Military readiness wasn't just prudent—it was necessary. Foreign threats a ...

Mike Pung's life has been shaped by two driving forces: devotion to family and a refusal to back down from bullies. For over 15 years, those guiding principles have carried him through a drawn-out legal battle with Isabella County, Michigan. What began as a dispute over a legitimate tax exemption on Mike's late nephew's property ended with the C ...

Oakland County, Michigan, stole Uri Rafaeli's financial assets in 2014. Three years earlier, Rafaeli had purchased a $60,000 rental property. He paid his taxes in 2012 and 2013, but he mistakenly had underpaid his taxes in 2011. When Rafaeli discovered the delinquent taxes, he paid the debt immediately. However, he miscalculated the accrued interes ...

Historically, New Mexico protected property owners' right to restrict public access to their private land, including streambeds. But a 2022 New Mexico Supreme Court opinion gutted that right, allowing the New Mexico Game Commission and Department of Game and Fish to instead penalize landowners for posting anti-trespassing signage and fences—priva ...