NEW MARTINSVILLE — A New Martinsville couple is suing the original owner of two Wetzel County properties that they purchased through a tax sale after the state's auditor changed the deadline for turning in their paperwork, making them responsible for unpaid real estate taxes.
According to the filing in Wetzel Circuit Court, plaintiffs Billy Jo and Melissa Shimp filed suit against River Rentals Inc. over an unpaid real estate tax bill.
The suit states the Shimps successfully bid on River Rental's properties in October 2017 after they had been put in a tax sale due to delinquent 2016 real estate taxes. They purchased the properties for $7,600, which included the property's 2017 taxes, according to the suit. They allege when they attempted to file their required notices to redeem through the state auditor's office, they were told the deadline had changed and they are now liable for the 2016 taxes on the property.
"The state auditor's actions in refusing to comply with the original terms of the tax sale and refusal to refund the plaintiffs' money has allowed the defendant to unjustly benefit," the plaintiffs claim in their suit.
The plaintiffs seek a judgment ordering the defendant to execute a deed conveying the properties to them or judgment in an amount sufficient to compensate them for the damages. They are represented by Adam Barney of Berry, Kessler, Crutchfield, Taylor & Gordon in Moundsville.
The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Jeffrey Cramer.
Wetzel Circuit Court case number 19-C-62