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Dear John,
Geraldine is a grandmother in her 90s living in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In 2015, she fell behind on property taxes and fees that she owed the county.
She was living in a senior living facility at the time.
To collect, local authorities seized a condo that she owned and sold it to private investors.
They kept the $15,000 she owed for her late taxes and fees… but they also pocketed $25,000 she had in home equity, stealing money that could have been used to pay for her senior care.
This practice is known as ‘Home Equity Theft’ and, at the time, was allowed in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
That is, until our friends at Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) took Geraldine’s case—called Tyler v. Hennepin County—to the U.S. Supreme Court and won.
PLF is now working with state legislatures to enact enforceable constitutional safeguards, comply with the precedent set in Tyler, and permanently end Home Equity Theft in all 50 states.
Pacific Legal Foundation represented Geraldine pro bono, and Atlas Network supported their work in part through grants and professional development programs.
Their success has also earned them a nomination for the 2024 Templeton Freedom Award.
It’s Atlas Network’s most prestigious award, and the $100,000 prize is given each year to the partner who delivers the most exceptional and innovative contributions advancing freedom and free enterprise.
Check out our new article about PLF and the Tyler v. Hennepin County case to learn more about their Supreme Court victory dismantling the government’s practice of Home Equity Theft.
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