The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of a 94-year-old woman who challenged a Minnesota county that seized and sold her condo to pay off her tax debt and then kept a $25,000 profit.
In a unanimous ruling, the justices said Hennepin County violated the U.S. Constitution’s Takings Clause, which prohibits the government from taking property without just compensation.
Geraldine Tyler lost her condo in a dispute with county officials after she owed $15,000 in property taxes. She had purchased it in 1999 but moved into a senior living facility in 2010. After moving out, she did not pay taxes on the property.
The county foreclosed on the condo, sold it for $40,000 and kept all the money instead of returning the $25,000 left over after the $15,000 tax debt was paid.
Ms. Tyler lost her initial challenge in lower court, prompting her to take the dispute to the high court.
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