In 2021, a Pennsylvania woman's property was auctioned over a $7,771 tax bill; she claimed she was told the notice concerned a trailer, but court rejected her appeal

A woman in Pennsylvania once lost her property at a public tax auction. She reportedly failed to pay $7,771 in property taxes. Later, she challenged the sale and said that she had been told that a notice posted on the property concerned a trailer. She argued it was not the property itself. Notably, the court rejected her argument.

The woman's name was Amanda Johnson. She had owned a property in Franklin Township in Greene County, Pennsylvania, and in October 2012, she had acquired the property. According to reports, she had failed to pay property taxes for 2019 and 2020.

The outstanding tax bill stood at $7,771.98 when the property was sold. The public sale on September 15, 2021 was conducted by the Greene County Tax Claim Bureau. It was later sold to Heather Gilbert for $7,771.84.

Why was the property sold?

The tax bureau had sent her a certified letter about the unpaid taxes in April 2020. In that same year, it sent her another notice by certified mail informing her of the planned tax sale. That went unclaimed. Two other attempts also failed later.

Eventually, a notice of sale was posted on the property on June11. The sale was advertised in newspapers.

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What did Johnson say about the notice?

Johnson challenged the sale. After the property was transferred to Gilbert, she argued that the bureau had not followed the legal requirements for notifying her about the auction.

She also claimed that she had contacted the tax bureau by phone in July 2021. But, the trial court did not find her account of that conversation credible. It said that she had actual notice of the planned sale because she had seen the posted notice.

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What did the court decide?

The trial court's decision was challenged, and in its January 16, 2024, ruling, the appeals court upheld the earlier decision. The judges noted that the bureau had attempted personal service twice, and sent notices by mail, published the sale notice and posted it on the property.