Weisel, Xides & Foerster Law Blog

Allegheny County Property Tax Appeal Filing Deadline Approaching

wxflaw — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:34:59 +0000

The deadline for filing a 2011 Allegheny County Property Tax Assessment Appeal is March 31, 2011. Homeowners or businesses may file a property tax assessment appeal on their property by March 31, 2011. Further, a non-profit organization may be exempt from property taxation. The deadline for filing a tax-exempt application is also March 31, 2011.

Our firm has experience in handling property tax assessment appeals on behalf of individuals and businesses. Please contact us for a free initial consultation to discuss your potential tax appeal.

Veterans Benefits: Korea and Agent Orange

wxflaw — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:48:46 +0000

A Department of Veterans Affairs regulation will expand the dates when illnesses caused by herbicide exposure can be presumed to be related to Agent Orange. Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Korea will have a better path to access benefits.

The VA will presume herbicide exposure for any Veteran who served between April 1, 1968, and Aug. 31, 1971, in a unit determined by the VA and the Department of Defense to have operated in an area in or near the Korean DMZ where herbicides such as Agent Orange were applied.

Veterans Benefits: Agent Orange exposure update

wxflaw — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 01:33:05 +0000

In October 2010, Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease were added as presumptive diseases from exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange. Agent Orange was a herbicide used during the Vietnam era on trees and vegetation that provided cover for enemy forces. These diseases are presumed to be associated with Agent Orange exposure during military service by the VA.

MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE MORATORIUM

wxflaw — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:35:30 +0000

Many mortgage lenders have now declared a foreclosure moratorium, and attorney generals in all 50 states are investigating foreclosure practices. The investigations center on 2 issues:

Lack of documentation and outright fraud in the original mortgage documentation.
Improper procedures in the mortgage foreclosure process.

The first problem is much more serious than the second. It may take months or years of legal action to find out how many truly fraudulent or improper mortgage loans were made in the 2000’s, and how the properties may now be sold. Improper mortgage foreclosure procedures can be corrected by re-filing so long as the property has not been sold. After sale, an improper mortgage foreclosure may still stand if there was proper notice so that the true facts could be discovered. Legal standards for proper complaints, affidavits and motions vary from state to state and even from county to county.

Pennsylvania is a judicial foreclosure state which requires a lawsuit begun by a formal complaint in order to bring mortgage foreclosure. The foreclosure complaint must include specific allegations including an itemized statement of the amount due. The amount due should be repeated in any motion or affidavit which is used to obtain judgment.

Personal Injury – Pennsylvania Automobile Insurance Limits

admin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:04:55 +0000

In September 2010, a bill was introduced into the Pennsylvania State Senate that would raise the minimum amounts of auto insurance coverage that the state requires motorists to carry. The legislation would raise the minimum for bodily injury liability to $30,000 for one person per accident, $60,000 bodily injury liability for two or more people per accident, and $10,000 for damage to property of others in any one accident. These amounts are double the current minimum amounts of auto insurance.