Reassessment 2012: Give Me Land Lots of Land — well, not so much.

No. 779 We’re hearing that the assessors have been increasing the land value in the City on some properties much more than the value of improvements. I saw one today where the building value of a four unit apartment building went down a significant amount but was more than offset by an enormous increase in […]

Reassessment 2012: What About All Those Sheriff Sale Properties?

No. 778 From all reports, the assessment notices that started arriving in City and Mt Oliver mailboxes yesterday were full of assessment values that are double and triple the 2002 numbers. With all of the sheriff sale properties on the market, how can this be? Good question. The Sheriff’s deed, which frequently represent a very […]

Reassessment of the Reassessment by Fitzgerald — Too Little, Too Late?

No. 777 When we wrote “Christmas Reassessment” (below at No. 774) we gave Rich Fitzgerald credit for being shrewd enough to pass a one mill tax increase this year — before the assessment year in which increases would be limited to 105% of the prior year, at least in theory, by Act 146. However, to listen […]

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing! It Took Over a Century to Get it Just Right.

No. 776 PHOTO; Living Nativity Scene in Kenya, 2011. Courtesy of Susan Ferson. The hymnbooks credit Charles Wesley for the words and Felix Mendelssohn for the tune. True, but that’s not the whole story. Wesley (1707 – 1788) and Mendelssohn ( 1809- 1847) were not contemporaries. Wesley published the original version of this work in 1839 under the […]

Do they still hang horse thieves in Texas?

No. 775 Everyone knows that Texas is just about the world champion in administering capital punishment. But do they hang horse thieves? There is a real case of serial horse theft and equicide pending in the Lone Star State. Improve your education on the subject by reading the Equine Law Blog.

Christmas Reassessment

No. 774 The County Assessors really do have a heart. They tried to keep from delivering the first batch of reassessment notices before Christmas. But Judge Wettick would have none of it. I must admit, I didn’t initially give Rich Fitzgerald credit for shrewd thinking. It was puzzling that the County Council rushed to pass […]

War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Complex is Simple.

We’ve talked about this before. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been trying to simplify and illuminate home mortgage financial disclosures. Periodically they put out a couple of variations on their merged disclosure form prototypes and ask the public which one they like the best. If you want to try, click here. As for me, […]

The Operating System Made Me Do It!

772 I have a reliable report that a lawyer using Macintosh’s OSX Lion was drafting a will calling for an executrix. While proofing, he discovered that the ever-helpful operating system had “corrected” the word “Executrix” to read — no kidding — “Dominatrix.” Computer as Dominatrix. Photo: John Lund.com

Goodbye, What’s-His-Name.

No. 771 If we could only remember your name, we might sue you for breach of contract. Aha — Otto Graham! No, Martha Graham! No, that’s not right. You’ll always be remembered as the guy who sent a text message to one of the assistant coaches to say goodbye to the team, except of course, […]

Overcoming Overwhelming Odds: A Case in Point.

No. 770 When it happens in New York it makes national news. When much the same thing happened in Pittsburgh some years ago, it made local news. Yet something even more remarkable happened after the Pittsburgh event that didn’t make the news at all, a story worth telling. One afternoon, I was asked to help […]

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CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

Legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus.

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