Private Property Cases

Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
King v. Brownback
Brownback v. King is IJ’s first Immunity and Accountability case that was argued before the United States Supreme Court. It involves James King, an innocent college student who was brutally beaten and choked unconscious by…

4th Amendment Project | Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Detroit Civil Forfeiture
For decades, residents of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan have lived under constant threat of having their cars taken away and ransomed back to them for $1,000 or more—that is, if the car is ever…

Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
West v. Winfield
If you tell police they can go into your home, does that mean they can also legally stand outside and pepper it with shotgun-fired tear gas grenades—destroying everything inside? That is the question asked by…

4th Amendment Project | Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
DEA and TSA Airport Forfeitures
Retired railroad engineer Terry Rolin’s life savings were seized by the government, but he hasn’t been charged with any crime. Now he and his daughter are working with IJ to get his money back and…

Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Lech v. City of Greenwood Village
Police destroyed the home of Leo and Alfonsina Lech while pursuing a fugitive and refused to pay for the damage that was caused. While the Supreme Court declined to hear the Lechs’ case, IJ is…

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Miami Forfeiture Attorneys’ Fees
Miladis Salgado returned home one day to find the DEA had seized her life savings, even though she did nothing wrong. Her money was eventually given back to her, but the government should not be…

Eminent Domain | Private Property
Woodcrest Homes, Inc. v. Carousel Farms Metro. Dis
Imagine if two of your neighbors got together, claimed they established a new town, and then “voted” to take your property from you using eminent domain. Crazy, right? Not in Colorado, where the owners of…

Fines and Fees | Private Property
Washington Street Fees
Linda Cameron wanted to add a bedroom and bathroom to her modest home, but the city of Richland told her she’d first have to pay for renovations to the city’s streets adjoining her property. The…

4th Amendment Project | Private Property | Rental Inspections
Zion, Illinois Rental Inspections
Josefina Lozano and three of her tenants have joined with IJ to file a federal lawsuit to shut down the city of Zion’s warrantless inspection program, which allows the city to intrude on the privacy…

Granite City Compulsory Evictions
Granite City, Illinois is trying to kick Andy Simpson and Debi Brumit out of their home for a crime they didn’t commit. Andy and Debi are fighting back with IJ to uphold the basic principle…

Code Enforcement | Fines and Fees | Private Property
Dunedin, FL Foreclosure
Nobody should lose their home because their grass is too long, but that’s exactly what the city of Dunedin is trying to do to Jim Ficken. Jim and IJ are fighting back against these excessive…

4th Amendment Project | Fines and Fees | Private Property
Chicago Impound
Chicago is towing the cars of innocent people and holding them for ransom. Victims of this unjust system are taking a stand, with IJ’s help, and calling for an end to this impound racket.

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Pennsylvania Forfeiture FOIA
Americans have a right to know details about misdeeds being committed by their government. LancasterOnline, a publication in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, worked with IJ to ensure citizens have access to information about what police are taking…

Fines and Fees | First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Private Property
Norco, CA Enforcement Fees
Ron Mugar successfully saved his home in court from being taken by the city in a process called a receivership. But the receiver nonetheless charged Ron over $60,000 for “obstructive tactics” just for defending himself.

Eminent Domain | Private Property
Pennsylvania Pipeline Eminent Domain
A pipeline company abused eminent domain to take property from the Erbs without paying them for the taking. IJ petitioned the Supreme Court to take the Erbs’ case, but unfortunately the court declined to hear…

4th Amendment Project | Private Property | Rental Inspections
Seattle Rental Inspections
A group of landlords and tenants worked together with IJ to challenge a Seattle law that allows city officials to inspect rental properties without a warrant. Unfortunately, after minor reforms were made, a court allowed…

Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Right to Shelter
Akron Right to Shelter
Sage Lewis is using his commercial property to build a community for those experiencing homelessness, with the hope of helping them transition from the streets to permanent housing. The city of Akron is attempting to…

Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Virginia Books
Valancourt Books, in Richmond, Virginia, has partnered with IJ to challenge a federal law that requires book publishers to provide two free copies of every book it publishes or face fines that could total in…

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Cleveland Forfeiture
Rustem Kazazi, a retired police officer from Albania, who now leaves in a Cleveland suburb, was flying home to Albania when Customs and Border Patrol stripped him naked and took his family’s money through the…

Code Enforcement | Fines and Fees | Private Property
Doraville Ticketing
The Supreme Court has made it clear that it is unconstitutional for a justice system to be influenced by perverse incentives to raise municipal revenue. That’s why two Doraville homeowners and two Doraville drivers have…

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Houston Forfeiture
Anthonia Nwaorie, a registered nurse and grandmother from Texas was flying to see family in Nigeria when Customs and Border Patrol took her life savings without ever charging her with a crime. So, she joined…

Code Enforcement | Fines and Fees | Private Property
Indio Attorney’s Fees
The city of Indio charged Ramona Morales with thousands of dollars in attorney's fees for her own prosecution in a minor code enforcement issue. IJ stepped in to defend her against this unreasonable fee, and…

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Timbs v. Indiana
U.S. Supreme Court Opinon Final Victory for Tyson Timbs Case Video…

Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Nashville Home-Based Business
Lij Shaw and Pat Raynor both run successful businesses within their own homes – one a recording studio, the other a hair salon. But one day, the city of Nashville threatened them with fines unless…

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Wyoming Forfeiture
IJ successfully represented Phil Parhamovich, a musician from Madison, Wisconsin who had his life savings of $91,800 seized by Wyoming law enforcement during a traffic stop on I-80 near Cheyenne. Phil was never charged, much…

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Eagle Pass Forfeiture
Border Patrol Agents used a flimsy excuse to seize Gerardo Serrano’s truck, then held it for two years. IJ asked the Supreme Court to hear Gerardo’s case, but unfortunately the court declined to do so.

Eminent Domain | Private Property
Jarreau v. South LaFourche Levee District
On behalf of a Louisiana dirt farmer, IJ filed a cert petition to the United States Supreme Court to determine if the government must pay you for losses incurred when it destroys your business through…

4th Amendment Project | Private Property | Rental Inspections
Pottstown, Pa. Rental Inspections
Pottstown, Pennsylvania has a rental inspection law that forces landlords and tenants to open their properties and homes to submit to intrusive inspections. On behalf of multiple tenants and a landlord, IJ is challenging this…

Code Enforcement | Fines and Fees | Private Property
Charlestown Property Rights
A small-town mayor in rural Indiana has made it his personal mission to oust the residents of a tight-knit working-class neighborhood, bulldoze their homes and build a fancy new subdivision for much wealthier people. The…
