In the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, plaintiffs Anastasia Grady n.k.a Reutelshofer and Kenneth S. Grady have filed a lawsuit against Wood County, West Virginia. The case, Civil Action No. 2:24-cv-00214, was filed on April 25th, 2024 and alleges that Wood County unjustly seized their Parkersburg home without proper compensation.
The plaintiffs claim that Wood County took their property as part of a long-standing practice to collect small debts owed for unpaid property taxes by transferring ownership of the full value of the property to third parties. They allege this was done without paying them compensation for the difference between the property’s value and the tax debt. The plaintiffs also assert that this policy is unconstitutional and lacks a valid public purpose.
Anastasia Reutelshofer (formerly Grady) and Kenneth S. Grady inherited their home at 1300 West Virginia Avenue from their mother in 2019. They allege that despite no outstanding liens or mortgages on the property at the time, Wood County pursued unpaid taxes through an auction sale of tax liens on their property.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages for what they believe to be an unconstitutional taking of their home without just compensation. They argue that Wood County's actions violated their constitutionally protected property rights.
