SCOTTSBLUFF, Nebraska (WOWT) – This month, a Nebraskan had a significant weight lifted off his shoulders. His case of injustice made it all the way to the US Supreme Court.
First Alert 6 Investigates has been monitoring Kevin Fair’s court case for years. But, just as his case was coming to a finish, his health took a turn for the worse, and he now requires a different type of assistance: legal aid.
Fair and his wife have lived in their Scottsbluff, Nebraska, home for about 30 years. In fact, they’d paid it off. The assessor determined that it was worth $60,000.
But when Fair got sick, they fell behind on their property taxes by $588.
Nebraska law allows a private investor to eventually pay off Scottsbluff County’s tax debt and take over control.
Fair claimed it wasn’t right, so he took the matter to the United States Supreme Court. The court determined that the scenario violated the Constitution and that the government could not take more than what was owed.
It’s difficult to quantify how the constant danger of losing your house — a home you’ve paid for in full — affects one’s emotional and physical health.
Fair told First Alert 6 that the law had always defied common sense.
“They stand to make the money, and I won’t have anything after living here for 25 years,” he told me.
Just before Christmas, the Scottsbluff guy learned that the investor had returned the title, and the house was now Fair’s.
“He’s grateful, and there’s already been a show of support,” said Christina Martin, senior attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation.
What was previously referred to as home equity theft is no longer constitutional. There’s no telling how many people like Fair will avoid the heartache of losing their homes.
But just as one fight ends, another one begins: Kevin Fair suffered a stroke last month and now requires a ramp to enter his home.
“If people want to reward Mr. Fair for preserving the fundamental rights of all Nebraskans, they can go to GoFundMe. Every dime counts. “I know he is deeply moved by the giving,” Martin remarked.
HOW TO HELP:
If you want to help Kevin Fair, you can donate to his GoFundMe.com account, which will pay for a wheelchair ramp as well as an upcoming tax obligation that arose before he could qualify for the Homestead exemption.