Private Property Cases
4th Amendment Project | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Pollreis Cert Petition
A police officer in Arkansas held two innocent children at gun point when he was supposed to be searching for an adult suspect. IJ is asking the Supreme Court to hear the family’s case and…
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Texas Mechanic
Azael Sepulveda recently purchased a new mechanic shop, but the city of Pasadena will not let him open until he provides 28 parking spaces, which he does not need. Azael has partnered with IJ to…
4th Amendment Project | Business Inspections | Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Ohio Warrantless Inspections
A taxidermist was threatened with jail time after he asked a wildlife officer to get a warrant before searching his property. With the help of IJ, he’s fighting back to protect the privacy rights of…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Indiana Civil Forfeiture Class Action
In Indiana, prosecutors profit off the civil forfeiture cases they prosecute, creating perverse incentives that strips Hoosiers of their basic due process rights. A federal class action lawsuit from IJ seeks to end for-profit prosecutions…
Housing Abundance and Affordability | Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Right to Shelter | Zoning Justice Project
Georgia Tiny Homes
Tiny House Hand Up is a nonprofit that builds affordable tiny homes for people in Calhoun, Georgia. But the city of Calhoun’s unconstitutional ban on building tiny homes has prevented THHU from helping people in…
Fines and Fees | Private Property
Wilmington Impound
Wilmington, Delaware partners with a private towing company to tow any car that has more than $200 in unpaid parking fines. The private company makes a profit and Wilmington demands excessive fines in order to…
Fines and Fees | Private Property
Sun Valley Administrative Appeal
In 2016, the Department of Labor demanded $550,000 from a family farm in southern New Jersey. In their case, the agency served as prosecutor, judge, and jury, and the agency won every time. The brothers…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Nevada Civil Forfeiture
Marine veteran Stephen Lara was left on the side of the highway in Nevada without any money, after police took his life savings without ever charging him with any wrongdoing. Stephen has teamed up with…
4th Amendment Project | Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Texas Forfeiture II
Harris County, Texas, has an unconstitutional financial incentive for law enforcement to seize property and cash excessively without probable cause, often sweeping up innocent people in the process. Ameal Woods and Jordan Davis are two…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Kermit Warren Forfeiture
DEA agents took Kermit Warren’s life savings from him when he was traveling to purchase a new truck for his tow truck business. They never charged Kermit with a crime. With IJ’s help, Kermit was…
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Byrd v. Lamb
When police violate the rights of Americans, as they did to Kevin Byrd and Hamdi Mahmoud, they should be held accountable. IJ is asking the Supreme Court to take both of these cases and ensure…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Indiana Forfeiture Defense Appeal
The state of Indiana is attempting to make Terry Abbott win back his seized money in court without a lawyer. However, IJ has stepped in to defend Terry on appeal and is urging the court…
4th Amendment Project | Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
US Private Vaults Seizure
FBI agents broke into hundreds of private security deposit box without warrants. Holding government officials accountable for violating Fourth Amendment rights is crucial to ensure similar abuses don’t occur in the future.
4th Amendment Project | Private Property | Rental Inspections
Orange City, Iowa, Rental Inspections
Landlords and tenants in Orange City, Iowa are forced to open their doors to government officials without a warrant, simply because the property is a rental. This intrusive rule violates the Fourth Amendment, and that’s…
Economic Liberty | Eminent Domain | Private Property
Brinkmann, et al. v. Town of Southold, New York
The Brinkmann family owns hardware stores in Long Island and purchased property with the hope of opening a new store. The town now wants to take the land through eminent domain, simply because they don’t…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Arizona Forfeiture Appeal
Jerry Johnson owns a small trucking business. He traveled with cash to buy a new truck for his business when a detective approached him and took his money. He was left without his money or…
4th Amendment Project | Fines and Fees | Private Property
Pasco Predictive Policing
In true dystopian fashion, Pasco County in Florida, harasses people at their own homes through a method called “predictive policing.” The system tramples on the rights of Pasco residents by placing them under near-constant surveillance.
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property | SWAT Destruction
Baker v. City of McKinney — Texas SWAT Destruction
Police destroyed Vicki Baker’s home while pursuing a fugitive, costing her tens of thousands of dollars and leaving her daughter’s dog with hearing loss. The city refused to pay for the damage it caused. IJ…
Code Enforcement | Fines and Fees | Private Property
Lantana Fines
Sandy Martinez received more than $100,000 in fines for how she parked on her own driveway. This excessive fine not only threatens to financially cripple Sandy, it’s also unconstitutional and is the reason she has…
Housing Abundance and Affordability | Private Property | Right to Shelter | Zoning Justice Project
Sierra Vista Zoning
Under the guise of “zoning,” the city of Sierra Vista, Arizona is threatening to kick residents out of their homes in the middle of a pandemic. With IJ’s help, these residents are fighting back to…
4th Amendment Project | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Oliva v. Nivar
José Oliva was brutally beaten by federal officers in an unprovoked attack at a VA Hospital. This attack violated his Fourth Amendment rights, and IJ filed a petition to have the Supreme Court take on…
Fines and Fees | Private Property
New York Permit Fines
Joe Corsini keeps a pigeon coop on the roof of his home, like many other New Yorkers. The city’s Department of Buildings saddled him with thousands of dollars in fines for not having a license…
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Private Property
Eagle, WI Fines and Fees
The town of Eagle, WI works with a private law firm to punish residents who speak out against town officials by hitting them with excessive fines and fees through the code enforcement process. Victims of…
Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Right to Shelter | Zoning Justice Project
North Carolina Right to Shelter
The town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina attempted to block the only homeless shelter in the county from opening its doors at a new location, relying on bogus claims that the shelter would be “unharmonious”…
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
North Carolina Amortization
Dennis and Peg Schroeder have invested substantial money in their home and chose to rent it out as part of their retirement plan. The city of Wilmington is trying to deprive them of their right…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
South Carolina Civil Forfeiture
South Carolina’s civil forfeiture laws violate the rights of all South Carolinians to be free from excessive fines and fees. Caught up in this was Travis Green who had his money seized. Now, he is…
Code Enforcement | Fines and Fees | Private Property
Memphis Environmental Court
When a court proceeding may result in a person losing their home, the U.S. Constitution demands a fair process with rigorous safeguards against erroneous deprivation. But the process is Shelby County, Tennessee, is anything but…
Fines and Fees | Private Property
New Orleans Ankle Monitors
Judges must be impartial when deciding to deprive a person of his or her property. Unfortunately, one judge in New Orleans has been ordering individuals to wear an ankle monitor from a company in which…
Economic Liberty | Food Freedom | Private Solutions to Public Problems
Washington Little Free Pantry
Thanks to a lawsuit she filed with IJ, Kathy Hay can now share food with her neighbors in Asotin County, Washington, using a “little free pantry” in her backyard. Before the lawsuit, Kathy wasn’t allowed…
4th Amendment Project | Open Fields Doctrine | Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Tennessee Open Fields
Tennessee Wildlife officials were caught putting cameras on Terry Rainwaters’ property, ignoring his “No Trespassing” signs. Terry and another rural Tennessee property owner are joining forces with IJ to fight back against the “open fields…