Current:Home > MarketsMichigan county can keep $21,810 windfall after woman’s claim lands a day late-InfoLens
Michigan county can keep $21,810 windfall after woman’s claim lands a day late
View Date:2024-12-23 18:17:26
DETROIT (AP) — A woman has lost a legal tangle involving the calendar, mailboxes and a foreclosed house, leaving a Michigan county with a $21,810 windfall.
The state Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court and ruled in favor of Iron County in a lawsuit over cash remaining from the sale of a property that was saddled with unpaid taxes.
There is no dispute that Lillian Joseph could pursue the surplus money. Her claim was delivered on the day of the deadline, July 1, 2021, but the envelope wasn’t handled by the treasurer’s office until July 2.
Iron County government has more than 20 office suites, and each has its own locked mailbox. Joseph’s envelope didn’t list suite 12 so it didn’t immediately land with the treasurer on July 1.
“The mailroom is not the treasurer’s office,” attorney Laurie Longo, representing the county, said during arguments earlier this summer.
Joseph also sent her claim as “priority mail,” not certified mail, and did not check a box seeking confirmation that the letter was delivered, a requirement under Michigan law.
“The mailing requirement does not require any particular legal knowledge, nor is the instruction difficult for the average citizen to follow,” the court said in a 3-0 opinion Thursday, also noting that Joseph had worked with a lawyer on the claim.
During the July hearing, a judge asked if Joseph still had substantially complied with the process. No, said Longo.
County treasurers are “in this precarious position of dealing with the public every day,” Longo said. “Every single day somebody comes to them with any variety of situations where they’re asking, ‘Oh, can’t we just do this? Can’t we just push it a little bit here?’ ... This statute is very precise.”
An email seeking comment from Joseph’s attorney, Don Visser, wasn’t immediately answered Friday.
___
Follow Ed White at https://twitter.com/edwritez
veryGood! (348)
Related
- Messi breaks silence on Inter Miami's playoff exit. What's next for his time in the US?
- Camila Cabello Gives Chilly Update After Carrying Ice Block at 2024 Met Gala
- Texas mother sent text to ex-husband saying, 'Say goodbye to your son' before killing boy
- Trial begins for ex-University of Arizona grad student accused of fatally shooting professor in 2022
- When does Spirit Christmas open? What to know about Spirit Halloween’s new holiday venture
- Climate Change Is Pushing Animals Closer to Humans, With Potentially Catastrophic Consequences
- NFL schedule's best grudge games: Who has something to settle in 2024?
- Dali crew will stay on board during controlled demolition to remove fallen bridge from ship’s deck
- Rafael dissolves into a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico after hitting Cuba as a hurricane
- CFL suspends former NFL QB Chad Kelly 9 games for violating gender-based violence policy
Ranking
- It's Red Cup Day at Starbucks: Here's how to get your holiday cup and cash in on deals
- 'Baby Reindeer' shines light on complicated aspects of sexual abuse
- Legal Challenges Continue for SunZia Transmission Line
- Nuggets' Jamal Murray hit with $100,000 fine for throwing objects in direction of ref
- Why Kathy Bates Decided Against Reconstruction Surgery After Double Mastectomy for Breast Cancer
- Harvey Weinstein is back at NYC’s Rikers Island jail after hospital stay
- Tom Sandoval Addresses “Dramatic” Comments Made About Ariana Madix During VPR Finale
- Hang on! 'NCIS' stars Michael Weatherly, Cote de Pablo reveal the title for Tony, Ziva spinoff series
Recommendation
-
Taylor Swift drops Christmas merchandise collection, including for 'Tortured Poets' era
-
Kelsea Ballerini’s Post-Met Gala Ritual Is So Relatable
-
WNBA to begin charter travel for all teams this season
-
Former Las Vegas casino executive to be sentenced in bookmaking money laundering case
-
Beyoncé nominated for album of the year at Grammys — again. Will she finally win?
-
Storms batter Midwest one day after tornado leaves at least 1 dead in Oklahoma
-
White coated candy shipped nationwide recalled over salmonella contamination concerns
-
Yes, Zendaya looked stunning. But Met Gala was a tone-deaf charade of excess and hypocrisy.