In Re PETITION BY WAYNE COUNTY TREASURER
In Re PETITION BY WAYNE COUNTY TREASURER
Opinion of the Court
This case concerns the jurisdiction of circuit courts to modify judgments of foreclosure when the foreclosing governmental unit deprives the property owner of due process. Generally, the provision of the General Property Tax Act (GPTA),
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
The property owner in this case, Perfecting Church, purchased two parcels for use as parking lots during its church services. Both parcels were transferred by a single deed that the church properly recorded. Nevertheless, after the church purchased and recorded a single deed for both the parcels, the Wayne County Treasurer listed one parcel on the Wayne County foreclosure listing. The church paid the outstanding taxes on that parcel and the treasurer assured the church
Subsequent to the sale, the church learned of the foreclosure and sale, and it filed a motion for relief from the foreclosure judgment in the Wayne Circuit Court. That court granted the church’s motion and the Court of Appeals denied the intervening parties’ delayed application for leave to appeal.
(1) whether the trial court retained jurisdiction to grant relief from the judgment of foreclosure pursuant to MCR 2.612(C), notwithstanding the provisions of MCL 211.87[l](1) and (2); and (2) whether MCL 211.78[Z] permits a person to be deprived of property without being afforded due process.[4]
This Court reviews questions of law, such as issues of constitutional and statutory construction, de novo.
ANALYSIS
Under the GPTA, a “foreclosing governmental unit shall file a single petition with the clerk of the circuit court of that county listing all property forfeited and not redeemed to the county treasurer under [MCL 211.78g] to be foreclosed under [MCL 211.78k].... ”
Except as otherwise provided in subsection (5)(c) and (e),[9] fee simple title to property set forth in a petition for foreclosure filed under section 78h on which forfeited delinquent taxes, interest, penalties, and fees are not paid within 21 days after the entry of judgment shall vest absolutely in the foreclosing governmental unit, and the foreclosing governmental unit shall have absolute title to the property. The foreclosing governmental unit’s title is not subject to any recorded or unrecorded lien and shall not*7 be stayed or held invalid except as provided in subsection (7)[10]
The statute also provides for an appeal to the Court of Appeals within 21 days of the judgment of foreclosure.
The intervening parties accurately construe these provisions of the GPTA. If a property owner does not redeem the property or appeal the judgment of foreclosure within 21 days, then MCL 211.78k(6) deprives the circuit court of jurisdiction to alter the judgment of foreclosure. MCL 211.78k(6) vests absolute title in the foreclosing governmental unit, and if the taxpayer does not redeem the property or avail itself of the appeal process in subsection 7, then title “shall not be stayed or held invalid....” This language reflects a clear effort to limit the jurisdiction of courts so that judgments of foreclosure may not be modified other than through the limited procedures provided in the GPTA.
However, the church argues that because the county denied it due process when taking its property, the church can avoid the limitations of the statute. The intervening parties respond that regardless of the property owner’s claim, the statute only provides for one
As stated, we believe that the intervening parties’ interpretation of the GPTA is correct. The act does not provide an exception for property owners who are denied due process. Thus, the intervening parties correctly assert that the GPTA does not provide relief for the church or other property owners who are denied due process.
The question then becomes whether such a regime is constitutional when it operates to deprive a property owner of its property without due process. This Court must presume a statute is constitutional and construe it as such, unless the only proper construction renders the statute unconstitutional.
CONCLUSION
Because there is no construction of the GPTA that renders the statute constitutional in cases where the taxing authority has denied the taxpayer due process, the statute is unconstitutional as applied to those individuals. In the present case, the county completely failed to comply with the notice provisions in the GPTA. As such, the county deprived the church of its property without providing due process. Therefore, for the reasons stated, we affirm the order of the Wayne Circuit Court that restored the church’s title to the property in question.
MCL 211.1 et seq.
MCL 211.78i requires the foreclosing entity to notify the property owner by certified mail. Additionally, MCL 211.78Í requires the foreclosing governmental unit to visit the property, determine whether it is occupied, and either inform the occupant of the foreclosure or post notice in a conspicuous place.
Unpublished order of the Court of Appeals, entered July 11, 2005 (Docket No. 261074).
4 474 Mich 1059 (2006).
Wayne Co v Hathcock, 471 Mich 445, 455; 684 NW2d 765 (2004).
MCL 211.78h(1).
MCL 211.78k(1).
MCL 211.78k(5).
9 MCL 211.78k(5)(c) and (e) provided exceptions for future installments of special assessments and liens recorded by the state or the foreclosing governmental unit under MCL 324.101 et seq., and certain easements and deed restrictions.
10 MCL 211.78k(6). This subsection has since been amended by 2006 PA 611 and now provides:
Except as otherwise provided in subsection (5)(c) and (e), fee simple title to property set forth in a petition for foreclosure filed under section 78h on which forfeited delinquent taxes, interest, penalties, and fees are not paid on or before the March 31 immediately succeeding the entry of a judgment foreclosing the property under this section, or in a contested case within 21 days of the entry of a judgment foreclosing the property under this section, shall vest absolutely in the foreclosing governmental unit, and the foreclosing governmental unit shall have absolute title to the property, including all interests in oil or gas in that property except the interests of a lessee or an assignee of an interest of a lessee under an oil or gas lease in effect as to that property or any part of that property if the lease was recorded in the office of the register of deeds in the county in which the property is located before the date of filing the petition for foreclosure under section 78h, and interests preserved as provided in section 1(3) of 1963 PA 42, MCL 554.291. The foreclosing governmental unit’s title is not subject to any recorded or unrecorded lien and shall not be stayed or held invalid except as provided in subsection (7) or (9).
MCL 211.78k(7).
MCL 211.781(1) states:
If a judgment for foreclosure is entered under [MCL 211.78k] and all existing recorded and unrecorded interests in a parcel of property are extinguished as provided in [MCL 211.78k], the owner of any extinguished recorded or unrecorded interest in that property who claims that he or she did not receive any notice required under this act shall not bring an action for possession of the property against any subsequent owner, but may only bring an action to recover monetary damages as provided in this section.
The recent amendments of the GPTA add further support to this conclusion. See MCL 211.78k(5)(g).
Caterpillar, Inc v Dep’t of Treasury, 440 Mich 400, 413; 488 NW2d 182 (1992), quoting People v McQuillan, 392 Mich 511, 536; 221 NW2d 569 (1974).
Jones v Flowers, 547 US 220, 226; 126 S Ct 1708; 164 L Ed 2d 415 (2006), quoting Mullane v Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co, 339 US 306, 314; 70 S Ct 652; 94 L Ed 865 (1950).
Jones, supra, 547 US at 229, quoting Mullane, supra at 315.
Jones, supra, 547 US at 226 (emphasis added).
The United States Supreme Court “consistently has held that some form of hearing is required before an individual is finally deprived of a property interest.” Mathews v Eldridge, 424 US 319, 333; 96 S Ct 893; 47 L Ed 2d 18 (1976) (emphasis added), citing Wolff v McDonnell, 418 US 539, 557-558; 94 S Ct 2963; 41 L Ed 2d 935 (1974).s
Even when the foreclosing governmental unit only partially complies with the GPTA notice provisions, MCL 211.78k is sound as long as there is constitutionally adequate notice. Because the notice provisions provide more notice than is required to satisfy due process, the constitution does not require strict compliance with all the statutory notice requirements.
Concurring Opinion
oconcurring in the result only). I concur with the result reached by the majority. I write separately, however, to note that I do not agree that the notice procedures in the General Property Tax Act, MCL 211.1 et seq., necessarily satisfy due process. See Smith v Cliffs on the Bay Condo Ass’n, 463 Mich 420, 432, 434; 617 NW2d 536 (2000) (Kelly, J., dissenting). Despite being in compliance with the statute, an agency’s action may still fail to give a property owner constitutionally required reasonable notice.
Concurring Opinion
0concurring in the result only). Recent amendments of Michigan’s General Property Tax Act
I would hold that the relevant provisions of MCL 211.78 et seq.
I. FACTS
On July 1, 1999, respondent Perfecting Church purchased two vacant Wayne County properties for $100,000 and used both properties as parking lots for church service attendees.
Pursuant to MCL 211.78i, the treasurer’s office had a duty to mail notice of the pending foreclosure to the current owner, Perfecting Church. However, because of a recording error in the treasurer’s office, the properties were not listed on the tax rolls as being owned by Perfecting Church, and so the treasurer’s office sent the foreclosure notice to the former owner, not to Perfecting Church. In addition, the posted notice of foreclosure was incorrectly placed on a neighbor’s adjacent lot, rather than on either the first lot or the second lot owned by Perfecting Church.
Consequently, Perfecting Church never received notice of the pending foreclosure. It was not until October 2003, seven months after the circuit court entered the foreclosure judgment, that Perfecting Church became aware of the tax delinquency pertaining to the first lot when the church’s general manager saw it listed in the Wayne County forfeiture listing. After contacting the Wayne County Treasurer’s office, Perfecting Church obtained and paid the tax bill for the first lot on October 14, 2003.
At that time, Perfecting Church also inquired about the tax status of the second lot and was advised by the treasurer’s office that payment of taxes on the first lot would cover the second lot as well, because both properties were listed on the same deed. Apparently, this assertion by the treasurer’s office was incorrect, and Wayne County subsequently sold the second lot at auction. On November 4, 2003, the treasurer conveyed the second lot by quitclaim deed to the purchasers at
On May 14, 2004, pursuant to MCR 2.612(C)(1)(d) and (f), Perfecting Church filed a motion for relief from the judgment of foreclosure in the Wayne Circuit Court, alleging that it never received notice of the property foreclosure, which constitutes a violation of MCL 211.78i, MCL 211.78j, and MCL 211.78k; Const 1963, art 1, § 17; and US Const, Am XIV, § 1. On July 7, 2004, the circuit court granted Perfecting Church’s motion and vacated the foreclosure judgment. Appellants filed a delayed application for leave to appeal in the Court of Appeals, asserting that MCL 211.78l(1) and (2) barred Perfecting Church from pursuing a motion for relief from the judgment of foreclosure, and that Perfecting Church was required to settle the matter in the Court of Claims. The Court of Appeals denied leave to appeal on the basis of lack of merit in the grounds presented.
Appellants sought leave to appeal in this Court. This Court granted the application and directed the parties to include among the issues to be briefed: (1) whether the trial court retained jurisdiction to grant relief from the judgment of foreclosure pursuant to MCR 2.612(C), notwithstanding the provisions of MCL 211.78l(1) and (2); and (2) whether MCL 211.78l permits a person to be deprived of property without being afforded due process.
II. STANDARD OF REVIEW
Whether a court has subject-matter jurisdiction is a question of law that this Court reviews de novo. Lapeer
III. ANALYSIS
The GPTA authorizes county treasurers to foreclose on tax-delinquent property and to sell the property at auction to satisfy tax delinquencies. Republic Bank v Genesee Co Treasurer, 471 Mich 732, 737; 690 NW2d 917 (2005). However, a person may not be deprived of property without due process of law. Const 1963, art 1, § 17; US Const, Am XIV, § 1. In Dow v Michigan, 396 Mich 192, 210; 240 NW2d 450 (1976), this Court held that due process requires that before the government takes a person’s property by foreclosure, the person must be afforded notice and the right to contest the foreclosure. Following our decision in Dow, the Legislature added additional notice provisions to the GPTA to satisfy the constitutional due process requirements set forth in Dow. See, e.g., Smith v Cliffs on the Bay Condo Ass’n, 463 Mich 420, 428-429; 617 NW2d 536 (2000). As a result, the GPTA sets forth an extensive set of procedures to provide a property owner with notice in the tax foreclosure and sale process. Id. at 428.
This Court must presume that MCL 211.78 et seq. are constitutional. People v McQuillan, 392 Mich 511, 536; 221 NW2d 569 (1974). A presumption exists that the Legislature would not violate the constitution. Id. If a statute can be interpreted as being either constitutional
Among the foreclosure provisions of the GPTA, three are relevant to the disposition of this case: MCL 211.78i(10), MCL 211.78k(6), and MCL 211.78l(1) and (2).
Section 78i(10)
The failure of the foreclosing governmental unit to comply with any provision of this section shall not invalidate any proceeding under this act if the owner of a property interest or a person to whom a tax deed was issued is accorded the minimum due process required under the state constitution of 1963 and the constitution of the United States.
Essentially, § 78i(10) provides that as long as the property owner against whom foreclosure is sought is accorded notice satisfying minimum due process, the failure of the governmental entity to comply with other
The next relevant provision is MCL 211.78k(6), which defines the state of the title to the foreclosed property. The version of § 78k(6) in effect at the time of this foreclosure stated:
Fee simple title to property set forth in a petition for foreclosure filed under section 78h on which forfeited delinquent taxes, interest, penalties, and fees are not paid within 21 days after the entry of judgment shall vest absolutely in the foreclosing governmental unit, and the foreclosing governmental unit shall have absolute title to the property. The foreclosing governmental unit’s title is not subject to any recorded or unrecorded lien and shall not be stayed or held invalid except as provided in subsection (7).[10]
In other words, once a valid judgment of foreclosure is entered, MCL 211.78k(6) establishes that the fee simple title to the foreclosed property “shall vest absolutely in
After title vests in the foreclosing governmental entity pursuant to § 78k(6), MCL 211.78l establishes what remedy is available to the owner of the extinguished property interest. It states, in pertinent part:
(1) If a judgment for foreclosure is entered under section 78k and all existing recorded and unrecorded interests in a parcel of property are extinguished as provided in section 78k, the owner of any extinguished recorded or unrecorded interest in that property who claims that he or she did not receive any notice required under this act shall not bring an action for possession of the property against any subsequent owner, but may only bring an action to recover monetary damages as provided in this section.
(2) The court of claims has original and exclusive jurisdiction in any action to recover monetary damages under this section.
MCL 211.78l thus provides that once the prior owner’s interest in a foreclosed property has been extinguished, the prior owner “shall not bring an action for possession of the property against any subsequent owner, but may only bring an action to recover monetary damages as provided in this section.” Moreover, MCL 211.78l(2) states that the Court of Claims has exclusive jurisdiction over “any action to recover monetary damages under this section.”
Here, respondent Perfecting Church did not bring an action for possession against appellant subsequent owners. Instead, Perfecting Church sought relief from the foreclosure judgment on the basis that the judgment was void because Perfecting Church never received notice of the foreclosure action. Appellants do not contest that Perfecting Church was deprived of notice,
As a preliminary matter, I note that a circuit court has power to grant relief from a judgment under MCR 2.612(C). MCR 2.612(C)(1) states:
(1) On motion and on just terms, the court may relieve a party or the legal representative of a party from a final judgment, order, or proceeding on the following grounds:
(a) Mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect.
(b) Newly discovered evidence which by due diligence could not have been discovered in time to move for a new trial under MCR 2.611(B).
(c) Fraud (intrinsic or extrinsic), misrepresentation, or other misconduct of an adverse party.
(d) The judgment is void.
(e) The judgment has been satisfied, released, or discharged; a prior judgment on which it is based has been reversed or otherwise vacated; or it is no longer equitable that the judgment should have prospective application.
(f) Any other reason justifying relief from the operation of the judgment.
Contrary to appellants’ assertion, MCL 211.78l does not divest the circuit court of its power to grant relief from a judgment as specified by MCR 2.612(C)(1). Indeed, nothing in either MCL 211.78l or MCL 211.78k(6) removes the circuit court’s power to grant relief from a judgment of foreclosure under MCR 2.612(C). MCL 211.78l(1) only prohibits a displaced property owner from bringing a new action for possession. An “action” is a proceeding in court. Black’s Law
Further, MCL 211.78k(6) only addresses the state of the title that the government receives. Although MCL 211.78k(6) states that the government’s title shall not be “stayed or held invalid,” the government can only receive fee title to the property through a valid foreclosure proceeding. In situations where the property owner did not receive “the minimum due process required under the state constitution of 1963 and the constitution of the United States,” the foreclosure proceeding is invalid under MCL 211.78i(10). In re Petition by Wayne Co Treasurer for Foreclosure of Certain Lands for Unpaid Prop Taxes, 265 Mich App 285, 293; 698 NW2d 879 (2005).
It follows that a foreclosing governmental unit cannot receive fee title to property when the property owner was not provided with minimum due process notice of an impending foreclosure. Therefore, MCL 211.78k(6) does not preclude a circuit court from modifying its judgment pursuant to MCR 2.612(C) when a property owner has not been provided constitutionally adequate notice of the foreclosure. The majority and I disagree on this point. While the majority holds that the language of MCL 211.78k(6) vesting absolute title in the foreclosing governmental unit limits a court’s ability to modify judgments, I believe the correct, and constitutional, interpretation of the GPTA is that MCL
Thus, it is necessary to determine whether the foreclosure on Perfecting Church’s property met the minimum due process notice requirements. Both the Michigan and United States constitutions guarantee that a person shall not be deprived “of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.” Const 1963, art 1, § 17; US Const, Am XIV, § 1. Due process of law entitles a person whose interest is at stake to “ ‘notice and an opportunity to be heard.’ ” Dusenbery v United States, 534 US 161, 167; 122 S Ct 694; 151 L Ed 2d 597 (2002), quoting United States v James Daniel Good Real Prop, 510 US 43, 48; 114 S Ct 492; 126 L Ed 2d 490 (1993). Due process protects a real estate owner’s interest in property. Dow, supra at 204. “People must pay their taxes, and the government may hold citizens accountable for tax delinquency by taking their property. But before forcing a citizen to satisfy his debt by forfeiting his property, due process requires the government to provide adequate notice of the impending taking.” Jones v Flowers, 547 US 220, 234; 126 S Ct 1708; 164 L Ed 2d 415 (2006).
For the first component of due process — notice of an impending taking — to be constitutionally adequate, the notice must be “reasonably calculated, under all the circumstances, to apprise interested parties of the pendency of the action and afford them an opportunity to present their objections.” Mullane v Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co, 339 US 306, 314; 70 S Ct 652; 94 L Ed 865 (1950); Smith, supra at 429. This Court previously
The GPTA requires the foreclosing governmental unit to mail notice to the property owner as identified by the property’s deed filed with the county register of deeds. MCL 211.78i(6). Here, however, the treasurer mailed notice to the previous owner; consequently, Perfecting Church never received the mailed notice to which it was entitled under MCL 211.78i(6). The GPTA also requires the foreclosing governmental unit to post notice at the property in question. MCL 211.78i(3)(d). But here, the treasurer posted the foreclosure notice on a lot neighboring the property in question. Thus, a foreclosure notice was never posted at Perfecting Church’s property. There was an absolute failure to provide notice under the GPTA. Although actual notice is not a requirement of due process, the foreclosing governmental unit must make a reasonable effort to provide notice. Dow, supra at 211. When the government utterly fails to comply with any of the notice procedures provided in a foreclosure statute, the government has not made a reasonable effort to provide notice.
For the second component of due process — an “opportunity to be heard” — to be constitutionally adequate, the hearing must be “at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner.” Armstrong v Manzo, 380 US 545, 552; 85 S Ct 1187; 14 L Ed 2d 62 (1965); Van Slooten v Larsen, 410 Mich 21, 53; 299 NW2d 704 (1980). “A hearing would not be ‘at a meaningful time’ unless the owner of a significant interest in the property had an opportunity to cure any delinquency deter
The United States Supreme Court has held that the government does not always have to provide a hearing before the deprivation of a right. Parratt v Taylor, 451 US 527, 540-541; 101 S Ct 1908; 68 L Ed 2d 420 (1981). But the situations in which a postdeprivation hearing passes constitutional scrutiny are limited to those in which a predeprivation hearing would be unworkable. Id. at 541. The United States Supreme Court has held that the Due Process Clause is not implicated when the government negligently causes the loss of property. Daniels v Williams, 474 US 327, 328; 106 S Ct 662; 88 L Ed 2d 662 (1986). “Historically, this guarantee of due process has been applied to deliberate decisions of government officials to deprive a person of life, liberty, or property.” Id. at 331. Appellants argue that the treasurer’s negligence in providing notice means that a due process analysis does not apply. But the treasurer deliberately foreclosed on Perfecting Church’s property. Therefore, the negligent-actor rule from Parratt and Daniels does not apply to this case.
Appellants also argue that the purpose behind the GPTA should prevail over the Due Process Clause. They
“The establishment of prompt efficacious procedures to achieve legitimate state ends is a proper state interest worthy of cognizance in constitutional adjudication. But the Constitution recognizes higher values than speed and efficiency. Indeed, one might fairly say of the Bill of Rights in general, and the Due Process Clause in particular, that they were designed to protect the fragile values of a vulnerable citizenry from the overbearing concern for efficiency and efficacy that may characterize praiseworthy government officials no less, and perhaps more, than mediocre ones.”
The government “exert[s] extraordinary power against a property owner” when it takes and sells an owner’s property. Jones, supra, 547 US at 239. The Due Process Clause is designed to protect citizens against that use of power. The Legislature cannot circumvent the constitutional obligation of due process in order to speed up the foreclosure process and convey clear title to land it acquired through foreclosure.
I note that the Legislature amended the GPTA in 2003 by enacting 2003 PA 263, which added a new
A judgment entered under this section is a final order with respect to the property affected by the judgment and except as provided in subsection (7) shall not be modified, stayed, or held invalid after the March 31 immediately succeeding the entry of a judgment foreclosing the property under this section, or for contested cases 21 days after the entry of a judgment foreclosing the property under this section.
That subsection effectively prohibits a circuit court from using MCR 2.612(C) to grant relief from the judgment of foreclosure for any reason because it states that the circuit court’s judgment “shall not be modified, stayed, or held invalid . ...” By prohibiting the circuit court from granting relief from judgment, MCL 211.78k(5)(g) leaves a displaced property owner deprived of notice, without the minimum due process accorded under the statute, only with the option of bringing a separate action. This result initiates MCL 211.78l(1), which in turn establishes that the property owner may only bring an action for monetary damages. Despite the fact that the property owner was deprived of property without notice, the owner is precluded from bringing an action to recover the property.
Unlike the majority, I am satisfied that the 1999 amendments of the GPTA can be construed so as not to violate the constitutional guarantee of due process when the government fails to provide notice before foreclosing on property. MCL 211.78l does not prohibit the circuit court from using MCR 2.612(C) to grant relief from a judgment of foreclosure. Therefore, a property owner can file a motion for relief from a judgment of foreclosure to defend against an unconstitutional governmental taking of property. A property owner deprived of notice still receives a meaningful opportunity to be heard by bringing a motion pursuant to MCR 2.612(C) for relief from the judgment. By using MCR 2.612(C), the property owner can still defend the property interest inasmuch as the circuit court still has the authority to set aside the foreclosure. In doing so, the circuit court preserves the property owner’s interest in the land.
The circuit court correctly applied MCR 2.612(C) to grant Perfecting Church’s motion for relief from the judgment of foreclosure. Perfecting Church is not limited to a suit for monetary damages under the 1999 amendments of the GPTA, which were in effect when the treasurer filed the foreclosure petition. Perfecting Church did not receive adequate notice to protect its property from the government’s taking. Because the
IV CONCLUSION
I would hold that under the relevant provisions of MCL 211.78 et seq. in effect at the time the petition for foreclosure was filed in this matter, the circuit court was not deprived of jurisdiction to grant relief to Perfecting Church pursuant to MCR 2.612(C). Perfecting Church was not limited to a recovery of monetary damages because Perfecting Church was completely deprived of adequate notice of the pending foreclosure. Because the absence of notice was a denial of the minimum due process required under both the Michigan Constitution, Const 1963, art 1, § 17, and the United States Constitution, US Const, Am XIV, § 1, Perfecting Church was entitled to relief from the circuit court’s foreclosure judgment.
I would affirm the circuit court’s order granting Perfecting Church’s motion for relief from the judgment of foreclosure.
See 1999 PA 123 and 2001 PA 101.
MCL 211.78(1).
MCL 211.78i(2), now MCL 211.78i(10); MCL 211.78k(6); MCL 211.78l.
The two properties commonly known as 17833 Van Dyke (first lot) and 17843 Van Dyke (second lot) were both listed under one deed.
In re Petition by Treasurer of Wayne Co for Foreclosure, unpublished order of the Court of Appeals, entered July 11, 2005 (Docket No. 261074).
In re Petition by Treasurer of Wayne Co for Foreclosure (Wayne Co Treasurer v Perfecting Church), 474 Mich 1059 (2006).
Petitioner Wayne County Treasurer asserts that an additional provision is applicable to this case: MCL 211.78k(5)(g), enacted by 2003 PA 263 and effective January 5, 2004. Petitioner’s argument is that this 2003 amendment is applicable because respondent Perfecting Church did not file its motion for relief from the judgment of foreclosure until May 2004, after the 2003 amendment took effect. I am satisfied that MCL 211.78k(5)(g) is inapplicable because petitioner Wayne County filed its petition for foreclosure on June 14, 2002, and the Wayne Circuit Court entered the judgment of foreclosure on March 10, 2003, before the January 5, 2004, effective date of MCL 211.78k(5)(g).
The 1999 provision was found at MCL 211.78i(2).
MCL 211.78i(10).
10 MCL 211.78k(6) was amended by 2003 PA 263 and presently states:
Except as otherwise provided in subsection (5) (c) and (e), fee simple title to property set forth in a petition for foreclosure filed under section 78h on which forfeited delinquent taxes, interest, penalties, and fees are not paid on or before the March 31 immediately succeeding the entry of a judgment foreclosing the property under this section, or in a contested case within 21 days of the entry of a judgment foreclosing the property under this section, shah vest absolutely in the foreclosing governmental unit, and the foreclosing governmental unit shall have absolute title to the property. The foreclosing governmental unit’s title is not subject to any recorded or unrecorded hen and shall not be stayed or held invalid except as provided in subsection (7) or (9).
Although any discussion of this amendment is dicta because it was not in effect at the time of the foreclosure filing in this case, I note that this amendment appears to be a further attempt by the Legislature to speed up the foreclosure process.
I believe that MCL 211.78k(5)(g) takes an unconstitutional step further than MCL 211.78k(6) by making thejudgment of the circuit court final. The language of MCL 211.78k(6) can be constitutionally reconciled with the language of MCL 211.78i(10) because MCL 211.78k(6) applies only to the title received by the government after a judgment of foreclosure is entered; it does not apply to the judgment of the court.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- In Re Petition by Treasurer of Wayne County for Foreclosure
- Cited By
- 81 cases
- Status
- Published