Credit Sarah Cwiek / Michigan Radio
A federal judge dismissed a class action lawsuit against the city of Detroit, Wayne County, and the state of Michigan over inflated property tax assessments in 2017.
Judge Nancy Edmunds cited the Tax Injunction Act, writing, "because there is a state remedy that is plain, speedy, and efficient, this Court, a federal court, lacks subject matter jurisdiction over these claims."
Attorneys for the plaintiffs are appealing the dismissal, arguing that clients' federal constitutional rights to due process were violated, therefore making federal court the right place to litigate the issue.
In 2017, Detroit completed a property reappraisal for the entire city, ordered by the state. The city was then to send notices to residents, notifying them of the assessment and their right to appeal that assessment. City officials admitted they sent the notices late, on February 14, 2017, four days before the deadline, and extended the deadline to appeal the assessment by two weeks.