Judge OKs decision to sell widow's home over $6.30 debt

Is there no limit to the just how completely idiotic bureaucrats can behave...and just how utterly devoid of common sense that lawmakers and judges can be?

A widow was given ample notice before her $280,000 house was sold at a tax auction three years ago over $6.30 in unpaid interest, a Pennsylvania judge has ruled.

Um...what...$6.30?

Just out of curiosity, I wonder how much money Beaver County spent on registered letters, lawyers, court costs, selling costs, etc. in order to enforce the recovery of this overdue $6.30. Why, under circumstances such as this, does a County Administrator not have some kind of discretion to waive the interest...or simply add it to her next year's tax bill...?

Even more disturbing is that the County obviously stood up in court and defended its actions.

Joe Askar, Beaver County's chief solicitor, said the judge got the decision right, based on the law.

Sure Joe...or as the County's chief solicitor, you might have wanted to suggest to the County that there were some aspects of the current law that ought to be changed so that such drastic actions, over paltry sums, would not occur in the first place.

www.foxnews.com...

What is really ridiculous and sickening is that NOBODY that saw this happening could pull $7 measly dollars out of their own pocket to right this wrong. How many people handled this paperwork, knew what was getting ready to happen, yet still went home and slept knowing that they could have skipped that salad at lunch to keep this woman in her home? I know that it's not anyone else's responsibility, but I would have felt the need to do something. Especially if that something was as small a sacrifice as this would have been. Maybe it's just me.

I understand law is law, but why does common sense and compassion have to fall by the wayside and prevent any wiggle room?

I expect the courts to be ridiculous. They have that reputation to uphold of course, but NOBODY else could do the humane, compassionate thing?

Just when you think humanity has hit rock bottom someone has to come along and lower the bar even more.

I would bet somebody that works for the county/city got a helluva deal on a house....

Unreal.

What is wrong with this people? all the militia that went to Bundy ranch should protect this house now.

why people don't riot over things like this???

The only way i see this possible is the one that make this happen had a personal grudge against the woman or her late husband, this is sick.

The property sold for about $116,000, and most of that money will be paid to Battisti if further appeals are unsuccessful. An attorney for the purchaser did not return a phone message on Monday.

So they sold the house less than half the value so she even get less of what is hers...

There is a part of the female anatomy that describes these people from Beaver County.

Maybe the lady can make an appeal to a higher court and have the ruling overturned.
Then go them for damages due to emotional distress.

originally posted by: Indigent
What is wrong with this people? all the militia that went to Bundy ranch should protect this house now.

why people don't riot over things like this???

The only way i see this possible is the one that make this happen had a personal grudge against the woman or her late husband, this is sick.

The property sold for about $116,000, and most of that money will be paid to Battisti if further appeals are unsuccessful. An attorney for the purchaser did not return a phone message on Monday.

So they sold the house less than half the value so she even get less of what is hers...

You make a very valid point here...the County was allowed to inflict damages of over $164,000 on this poor woman over a debt of just $6.30 (not to mention she has the spectre of being homeless still hanging over her head).

Surely this is cruel and unusual punishment!

originally posted by: weirdguy
There is a part of the female anatomy that describes these people from Beaver County

I see what you did there.

I agree with you. I hope she does take it to a higher court and wins tons in damages. It seems like a lot of folks are losing their humanity these days. Things like this is what makes people snap and do stupid things IMO. Someone works hard all their life for a home of their own only to lose it for pennies. That would be enough to make most folks snap IMO.

I would think most Judges would be offended at having a case this trivial presented in their courtroom which does nothing but waste taxpayer's money. This Judge should have thrown this case out of court the moment it entered. Does ANYONE have any common sense anymore???

Nobody will come to defend her because her debt was tax related. If her debt was related to the mortgage then droves would be rushing to her defense.

Lose your home to taxes = you're a deadbeat
Lose your home to bank = banks are evil and you're a victim

I've been a bureaucratic situation before with a municipality where a small debt was threatening to become a big deal. They flat out refused to allow me to pay the debt with cash in hand because the wheels of bureaucracy had already moved on to the next step. It took a lawyer and some local political groups to stop the nonsense.

This is another reason bureaucracies are evil. Their procedures and rules trump your very existence and often times there is no recourse.

a reply to: Nucleardoom

Exactly how they are going to sell a $280k dollars house for a $6.3 problem, a big mac cost me more than that, there must be more to this but come on this is just crazy. does judges think? does anyone involved is able to think?

originally posted by: thisguyrighthere
...They flat out refused to allow me to pay the debt with cash in hand because the wheels of bureaucracy had already moved on to the next step. It took a lawyer and some local political groups to stop the nonsense.

This is another reason bureaucracies are evil. Their procedures and rules trump your very existence and often times there is no recourse.

I don't think that your "evil" characterisation is an over-reach here. And I would even go a little further in saying that this was some form of collective evil. In order for this to go forward, it would have had to go across quite a number of people's desks...and yet none of these people said, "Hold on...what are we doing to this poor woman?".

And then...somebody issued an order for the sale...and then an auction was held...and money passed hands.

And then it went to court again...and at the end of it all a Judge said this course of action was correct.

Remind anyone of the old excuse, from another era, where people's defence of their evil actions was "I was just following orders"?

originally posted by: Indigent
a reply to: Nucleardoom

Exactly how they are going to sell a $280k dollars house for a $6.3 problem, a big mac cost me more than that, there must be more to this but come on this is just crazy. does judges think? does anyone involved is able to think?

They don't get paid to think or feel apparently. We are naught but collateral damage to these folks IMO.

words do not exist ... seriously .. its another one of these threads about the downright disgusting silliness of some humans ...

trying to process this with a logical mind, makes me feel a way, that, words to adequately describe it elude me, or don't exist ...

as ATS grows .. there seems to be a huge upsurge of threads like this, where people are dealt with in a completely non-human / non-humane manner ... which is good, we have a platform like this to voice and highlight our concerns of wrong-doings to the many, ... but a shame that humans are even at this state of being we are at today ... at work, many seem to think like machines first, and humans second ... and the amount of times staff respond with automated responses and defend their employers .. and i have to point out their misplaced loyalty, as their employer would gladly get shot of them in a second, if it was financially viable to do so, and save them some pounds ...

i was blown away last week, because i was allowed to take my dog into the bank .. i thought this was unheard of now, since over 30 years ago ... and for a moment, i was made to feel human, by a bank ... the f act i even felt that way about such a small gesture, reflects the scale of robotic inhuman rules i adhere to on a daily basis as common place

poor woman .. i will say a prayer

In here if tax arrears are less than 10 euros you don´t need to pay that at all.
It is not only the judge here who is to blaime but the whole system, how can they go all that trouble for $6.30 speaks for itself. Didn´t she have anything else to sell, was the payment refused due stupidity of the system?

Is this only happening in "Obama´s America " or was the system as ruthless all the times ?

What is agenda behind all this ?

originally posted by: mobiusmale
I don't think that your "evil" characterisation is an over-reach here. And I would even go a little further in saying that this was some form of collective evil. In order for this to go forward, it would have had to go across quite a number of people's desks...and yet none of these people said, "Hold on...what are we doing to this poor woman?".

And then...somebody issued an order for the sale...and then an auction was held...and money passed hands.

And then it went to court again...and at the end of it all a Judge said this course of action was correct.

Remind anyone of the old excuse, from another era, where people's defence of their evil actions was "I was just following orders"?

This is why there's fluoride in the water, and why from a very young age children are programmed to show unquestioning deference to "authority."

TPTB want to reduce us to mindless cogs in their heartless machine. That no one spoke out against this, not the workers involved nor the trial judge rendering the verdict, is testament that their plan is working.

The truth is, you can keep your mouth shut, collect a paycheck, and allow injustice to spread. Or you can stand up, say no, and sacrifice yourself for the greater good. And the shame is that so few people involved in this hellish system are willing to inconvenience or discomfort themselves to do the latter.

a reply to: Kangaruex4Ewe

that was the first thing that crossed my mind...id have pulled out 7 bucks for something like that and called her....

What I read was that it was proven in court that she ignored multiple notices of this debt.
Plus she ignored the tax sale notice of her property.

Some people are horrible at financial matters.
It was thought that her husband had taken care of most of her financial affairs before his death. She just stuck her head in the sand over the notices. Feeling they must be wrong.

The local governments have exacting steps they must follow for every debt. Be it large or small. The process is the process.

Ask yourself this:
Would you take $6 out of your pocket to pay the debt for someone who lives in a $280K house in a nice neighborhood?

a reply to: samkent

Isn´t the tax policy insane when they go all this trouble for only $6.30 ? In other countries they don´t even want money like that back.

originally posted by: samkent
What I read was that it was proven in court that she ignored multiple notices of this debt.
Plus she ignored the tax sale notice of her property.

Some people are horrible at financial matters.
It was thought that her husband had taken care of most of her financial affairs before his death. She just stuck her head in the sand over the notices. Feeling they must be wrong.

The local governments have exacting steps they must follow for every debt. Be it large or small. The process is the process.

Ask yourself this:
Would you take $6 out of your pocket to pay the debt for someone who lives in a $280K house in a nice neighborhood?

If I had understood that she was unable to respond adequately due to her not having read the County's correspondence, or because she was suffering from severe depression due to the death of her husband, or some such...then yes - and would have offered to contact her lawyer, or another family member to help her through the crisis.

I think the more proper question is...would it have been too much trouble for somebody from the County to have gone over to her house, knocked on the door and said, "Have you been getting our mail saying that if you don't pay us $6.30, that we are going to sell your house? Do you understand that this is a serious situation? Can you just write me a cheque today to take back to the County"

originally posted by: dollukka
a reply to: samkent

Isn´t the tax policy insane when they go all this trouble for only $6.30 ? In other countries they don´t even want money like that back.

Yes, insane just about covers it...

originally posted by: samkent
Ask yourself this:
Would you take $6 out of your pocket to pay the debt for someone who lives in a $280K house in a nice neighborhood?

i agree ... she obviously messed up somewhere along the line also ... but her obvious mess-up is complete overshadowed by the enormity of the injustice ...

'the process is the process', is not something i want to read .. that type of robotic mentality sickens me ... while she failed herself .. this 'process' also failed her, and somewhere along the way, humans should be helping humans out, instead of quoting 'the process' ... the 'process' could ideally have safe guards from ruining peoples lives unnecesserily .... just saying' ah its the process' is the exact type of mentality the TPTB love ... complete automated way of thinking and accepting all the injustices

humans are not 'the process' ... its what they say, when they want to blame something other than themselves .. instantly removing any doubt of guilt, and ensuring a good nights sleep, as there was nothing they could have done ... it was .. 'the process' ...

ETA - someone somewhere got this ladies lovely big house .. for about a third of its market value ... while she may have to pack her bags, let a stranger have her house, and work out alternative sleeping arrangements ... ahh .. that'll be process .. everyone followed procedure ... no worries then