Fifth Avenue Forum

Practice tip: If the Third Circuit publishes redlines of your briefs as an appendix to its opinion, you are probably screwed.

https://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/201726p.pdf

Oof.

Going to put this in the right thread this time haha...

@dodint @Shyster

The letter I was waiting for came in the mail last week. School district is appealing our taxes after we bought our house last year to try to get a bigger piece of the pie. I get it... the house value went up, and so have houses around us. As much as it annoys me that we have no kids, and plan to have no kids I won't go off on a rant about school taxes.

Is it worth getting a lawyer? It's a telephone hearing... most lawyers I've talked too have quoted about 800 to 1k for their services. I don't mind paying it if it's going to actually pay off in the long run, but if I can just go try to fight it myself and come out around the same figure... then I'll do that.

It's not exactly my area of law, but it's close. I think it's worth it just because of how nuanced/red-taped that assessment stuff is. I wouldn't do it myself. The lawyers that specialize in this area are kind of like realtors, they know all of the people and processes in play for that particular area.

Do you need a referral? If so, what SD/municipality?

It's not exactly my area of law, but it's close. I think it's worth it just because of how nuanced/red-taped that assessment stuff is. I wouldn't do it myself. The lawyers that specialize in this area are kind of like realtors, they know all of the people and processes in play for that particular area.

Do you need a referral? If so, what SD/municipality?

Gotcha. I'm Gateway SD in Monroeville. I have contacted one lawyer that others have used around here with what seems to be good results but if you have any one to suggest I'm open to others.

There's no way I'd go into a tax fight unarmed. Get a lawyer.

Agree with dodint. If I were challenging my own tax assessment, I'd hire a lawyer in that field to do it. Someone who specializes in assessment challenges is going to know exactly what arguments work and what evidence is needed.

Thanks all... will go that route.

Lawyer hired to cover initial appearance and any subsequent appeals if need be. One flat fee (plus a small court filing fee if we go to appeal). Hearing isn't until the 16th, but at least I don't have to worry about it anymore. Just see what happens.

if you don’t mind skullman, I’d be intrigued at the argument the school district makes for increasing the taxes and the argument your lawyer makes for keeping them the same. I own a house but I have no idea how this works

if you don’t mind skullman, I’d be intrigued at the argument the school district makes for increasing the taxes and the argument your lawyer makes for keeping them the same. I own a house but I have no idea how this works

Yeah I'll post here how it goes.

I know what the school district is going to argue. We are taxing you for X based on this older valuation of your house, and you just bought this house for X dollars last year which is way higher than what we are taxing you for so we want a bigger piece of the pie.

I'm not even opposed to paying a bit more (house values are way up around here since we bought, and even more this year), I just don't want to get bent over where it ends up being like $300 more a month in taxes that's all.

if you don’t mind skullman, I’d be intrigued at the argument the school district makes for increasing the taxes and the argument your lawyer makes for keeping them the same. I own a house but I have no idea how this works

Yeah I'll post here how it goes.

I know what the school district is going to argue. We are taxing you for X based on this older valuation of your house, and you just bought this house for X dollars last year which is way higher than what we are taxing you for so we want a bigger piece of the pie.

I'm not even opposed to paying a bit more (house values are way up around here since we bought, and even more this year), I just don't want to get bent over where it ends up being like $300 more a month in taxes that's all.

yeah. I feel like they have some ability to increase taxes to keep up with inflation but I don't know what is or isn't acceptable in that. And I wonder who ultimately safegauards it...the county? the state?

if you don’t mind skullman, I’d be intrigued at the argument the school district makes for increasing the taxes and the argument your lawyer makes for keeping them the same. I own a house but I have no idea how this works

Yeah I'll post here how it goes.

I know what the school district is going to argue. We are taxing you for X based on this older valuation of your house, and you just bought this house for X dollars last year which is way higher than what we are taxing you for so we want a bigger piece of the pie.

I'm not even opposed to paying a bit more (house values are way up around here since we bought, and even more this year), I just don't want to get bent over where it ends up being like $300 more a month in taxes that's all.

yeah. I feel like they have some ability to increase taxes to keep up with inflation but I don't know what is or isn't acceptable in that. And I wonder who ultimately safegauards it...the county? the state?

Yeah no clue. My initial thought was I was going to fight it but after thinking it over and hearing others opinions in this thread felt it was smarter and a better payoff in the end to get someone who knows the ins and outs of what goes on with these things and just let them handle it.

Our neighbor decided to harass my wife in a post (which completely derailed the original topic of the post, of course) in a public community group on f'n Facebook. Her and her friends my wife doesn't know said all kinds of nasty untrue things about my wife and then the neighbor posted our address in the post. The name my wife uses on Facebook you can't search online or anywhere and get our address. Then my wife starts getting threatening DMs from group members she doesn't know. My wife didn't engage in the post or the DMs. Reported everything to Facebook and the mods (The worst part is one of the group's mods was partaking in ganging up and harassing my wife) and took screenshots and documented links/timestamps. The post was only up three hours luckily before being removed by Facebook. All users and the group were reported to Facebook but they declined further action of course. The comments were clearly in violation of every single of the group's rules and the rules state that violators would be banned. It's been several days and the neighbor and moderator and others were never banned and still a member/moderator of that group. The other mods and admin are worthless and/or absent.

Anyway, my wife and kids were scared. We filed a police report with the local cops. What can we do from a legal perspective? Cease and desist? Protection order? I ask because we have heard her and her husband get into screaming matches over the years and at least two police visits that we have seen to their house. She has also been sitting outside on her porch pretty much everyday since spring started, no doubt watching my wife and likely my kids. She rarely sat on her porch in past years.

What is she alleging that your wife did?

I don't think any of the 5AF Bar™ attorneys work in this area. I'd hate to take a guess and misstate something. Good luck though, sounds frustrating.

What is she alleging that your wife did?

It was a post someone made complaining about vandalism unruly kids did in one of neighboring townships and our neighbor chimes in with "Sounds like it was pens9192's wife's kids because she can't control them outside" and then pretty much immediately neighbor's friends jump on board replying to her comment and the DMs start. 1. lol..I mean totally baseless accusation to start. My kids range from 4 to 12 years old and aren't walking around the neighboring township in the middle of the night, we know where they are every night. 2. the neighbor has kids the same age as ours and lets just say they aren't the cream of the crop, so sounds like projecting on her part. In fact, just two weeks prior to this incident the police were at their house on a Friday night to remove the kids for the weekend due to a domestic dispute between the neighbor and her husband (her husband called the police, not us) 3. Our kids play in the front yard and porch and sometimes get loud, but they are kids. But we make sure they don't get too loud or unruly or screaming bloody murder. Her kids are hardly ever outside playing. Wonder what she would think if she was transplanted back to the old days of kids playing outside all day everyday?

We have no contact with the neighbors and never have. Not even pleasantries. Our kids aren't friends with each other in school. Just we each kept to ourselves so this all seemed like it came out of left field.

Sounds like they are trash

Sounds like they are trash

As a moderator of a Facebook group with over 21,000 members in more than 15 countries, my advice is this: Don't join Facebook groups.

As a moderator of a Facebook group with over 21,000 members in more than 15 countries, my advice is this: Don't join Facebook groups.

Yes, that's for sure. What's crazy is that the only active mod online for the group when the incident happened DM'd my wife after my wife reported the post to the mods and told her everyone was adults here and shouldn't be treated like kids and my wife could leave the group if she didn't like that. Yet the post and comments literally violated all the group rules. A little while later that mod (or another) begrudgingly took the post down or Facebook did, I'm not sure. But the group rules says that "violations will result in post/comment removals and removal from the group" But to this day no one has been removed from the group. Interesting is I've seen that mod post in the group before complaining about bullying at the school.. Hmm..maybe it starts at home?

Its no doubt a game of favorites. That mod in question plus I'm sure the neighbor and friends are all in a circle of friends and have probably grown up together in the area. Meanwhile my wife and I are transplants to the area as of ten years ago.

Facebook does little to no moderating of Groups. That's why Groups have admins/mods, the platform is farming that responsibility out.

I think legal action would just feed the crazy. I'd just ignore them.

I think I'm being detained, or at least conscripted.

I received a court order in the mail yesterday to appear as an arbitrator of civil claims for the county court. I'll be serving on a panel with two other attorneys.

For my service, they'll pay me $125/day.
Except that I have less than 5 years of experience, so that is cut in half for $62.50 a day. Hmph.
Oh wait, all members of the county bar association have their payment forwarded to the bar association. >:|

I don't mind the duty, or not being paid, but I have to give up at least 8 hours of PTO at my real job for this, and they gave me less than three weeks notice.

I think I'm being detained, or at least conscripted.

I received a court order in the mail yesterday to appear as an arbitrator of civil claims for the county court. I'll be serving on a panel with two other attorneys.

For my service, they'll pay me $125/day.
Except that I have less than 5 years of experience, so that is cut in half for $62.50 a day. Hmph.
Oh wait, all members of the county bar association have their payment forwarded to the bar association. >:|

I don't mind the duty, or not being paid, but I have to give up at least 8 hours of PTO at my real job for this, and they gave me less than three weeks notice.

This is crazy. Are these typically wrapped up in a day or two?