Medeiros v. Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Hunters’ ‘right to retrieve’ tramples property owners’ right to exclude trespassers
Jim Medeiros and his family run their own business, White Oak Meadows, on land they bought in 2012 in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Located outside of Richmond, the family cultivates environmentally responsible forest and farm products, including beef and poultry raised solely on grasses and native vegetation. Ranching can be a tough-enough industry ...
Vondra v. City of Billings
Local government wields unannounced, warrantless search power over private businesses and home practitioners
Short stints in a salon and a chiropractor's office are all it took for Theresa Vondra to discover her true passion: helping people achieve total body wellness through massage therapy. She graduated from massage therapy school in 2006 and spent several years working for others before starting her own practice in Billings, Montana, where she ...
Foss v. City of New Bedford, et al.
State’s tax takings law enriches private company with senior citizen’s home and life savings
March 31, 2022 Update: Deborah has been living out of her car. Her family and friends have launched a GoFundMe to help her secure housing. If you’d like to donate directly to Deborah, visit her GoFundMe page. Life has not been easy for Deborah Foss in recent years. The 66-year-old grandmother lives in Massachusetts on ...
Hall v. Meisner
Michigan families fight to close state’s home equity theft loophole
When Tawanda and Prentiss Hall fell behind on their property taxes, they did what many financially strapped homeowners do: set up a payment plan with the local government. They didn't want to lose the Southfield, Michigan home where they lived with their children. The Oakland County treasurer ended the plan, however, with the tax debt standing a ...
Stephanie Heigel-Tibbitts v. California Coastal Commission
Couple fights unlawful Coastal Commission limbo to build wheelchair-friendly home
David Tibbitts and his wife, Stephanie, decided to move to their coastal property in San Luis Obispo County in 2018, after David suffered a stroke and became wheelchair bound. The couple has long planned to demolish the 1930s-era house on their land and build a new home that allows David, his family, and his caregivers to safely access and move aro ...
Johnson v. City of East Orange
New Jersey family fights government-sanctioned property theft
In 2014, Lynette Johnson bought commercial property in East Orange, New Jersey, for her son and daughter to run their businesses. Unfortunately, Lynette never received notice of her tax assessments, the eventual tax lien, and foreclosure. By the time her tax lien was foreclosed in 2018, she owed close to $20,000. The city sold the property to a pri ...
Yim v. City of Seattle (II)
Seattle wages unconstitutional war on landlords
In a misguided effort to combat racial disparities in housing, the City of Seattle passed the "Fair Chance Housing Ordinance," which forbids housing providers from considering applicants' criminal histories, usually uncovered in a standard background check. PLF represents several small-scale housing providers who are denied their constitutionally g ...
Riddick v. City of Malibu
Holding local California governments accountable for banning “granny flats”
Jason and Elizabeth Riddick live in Malibu, California, with their three children. Elizabeth's mother, Renee Sperling, is aging with several disabilities, including immunodeficiency. The Riddicks seek to add an attached ADU onto their existing single-family home in order to provide Renee a safe and private place to live. The Riddicks' modest propos ...
Sheffield v. George P. Bush, GLO Commissioner
Texas moves the public beach onto private, residential properties
Charles Sheffield is a long-time Texan and surfer who bought beachfront homes in Surfside Beach as a retirement investment. Merry Porter is a native Texan and resident of Surfside Beach who owns and uses a small beachfront home for rental income. In March 2021, without prior notice or compensation, the Texas General Land Office moved the public bea ...