Lawyer Blogs

It will come down to a contest over credibility and reliability in a sexual assault case against three police officers in the Toronto area, one legal expert says. The plaintiff, who has been only identified as a female parking enforcement officer by one local newspaper, has claimed that she was drugged as part of the assault. Her name has not been released due to a publication ban. The woman has claimed that officers Joshua Cabero, Leslie Nyznik and Sammer Kara assaulted her in a downtown hotel room on January 17, 2015 following a party. They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges. Questions were raised about the dependability of the plaintiff’s claims during a day of testimony at the University Avenue courthouse that included a toxicologist. The expert told the court that the blood alcohol level of the woman was not high enough to explain the behaviour or symptoms such...

Some business property is being double taxed but the owners don't know it! If you own or lease a restaurant, store, or office space with leasehold improvements there is a good chance that the personal and real property is subject to double taxation. Real property includes all land, buildings, and fixtures. All improvements on leased property must be considered real property. However, leasehold improvements can be taxed as personal property even if those improvements are technically real property so long as the underlying real property assessment does not include value for the leasehold improvements. This is where the costly double taxation can occur. Many real property assessments already include value for leasehold improvements. Cost calculator methods are used to value commercial and industrial buildings and these methods often have added or assumed items covering the leasehold improvements. Assessors also typically add value to the real property assessment when new construction items...

Urgent! Personal property statement deadlines have already passed, but make sure you didn't make a costly mistake! If you have assessable commercial or industrial personal property you were probably required to file a 2012 Form L-4175 by February 1, 2012. Many taxpayers make the costly mistake of attaching tax asset detail sheets to the personal property statements. These sheets typically include acquisitions costs and dates and provide a basis for completing your personal property statement. However, the sheets often include information for income tax purposes that should not be disclosed to the assessor! Leasehold improvements that are already taxed as real property and are listed on the tax asset detail sheet only for income tax depreciation purposes can be caught by the assessor and entered into your personal property assessment, resulting in double taxation. Sometimes it is necessary to include support for Section M of the personal property statement, the leasehold...

Many homeowners and property owners are currently being shocked by their assessments! Real estate markets have arguably stabilized in some areas. However, what many property owners did not expect is to see assessments increase! While values have remained stagnant or even have continued to fall in the majority of the State of Michigan, assessments are going up. Assessors have been using the highest priced sales to drive up assessments while ignoring the many typical lower priced sales that still saturate the market. The best way to address this problem is to appeal your property taxes to the Board of Review and then the Tribunal. Boards typically do not give much property tax relief, but all residential property owners must appear before a Board before going to the Tribunal. The Tribunal offers the opportunity to present appraisals and comparables to show your property's true worth. You get more than just a few...

Don't miss the 2012 March Board of Review! If you own residential property you must appeal your assessment to the 2012 March Board of Review prior to appealing to the Michigan You will be receiving or have already received a Notice of Assessment, Taxable Valuation (including Leasehold Improvements) and Property Classification. This notice states "THIS IS NOT A TAX BILL" in bold letters on the upper right hand corner. The lower half of this notice states the time and place for the Board of Review. Non-residents have the legal right to appeal property taxes by letter. Pay close attention to the notice because some jurisdictions require residents to appeal in person! We appeal hundreds of properties to the March Board of Review in numerous jurisdictions every year. If you contact us with sufficient time before the scheduled meeting, we can handle the Board of Review protest for you and ensure that...

Are you crushed under the heavy burden of debt? Do you believe that you’re serving your creditors instead of God? If yes, you could take the help of a Christian debt consolidation loan to come out of your debt problems. These loans are almost similar to general debt relief programs that help debtors eliminate their debts. Christian debt consolidation companies function on the Christian values of integrity, sincerity and truthfulness. This provides the debtors with a sharp sense of self-belief in their services.PreventionThe best way to avoid the requirement of a Christian debt consolidation loan is to handle your funds in accordance to the biblical principles. There are numerous verses in the Bible that discourage debt; Romans 13:8 and Proverbs 22:7 to mention only a few. While Romans 13:8 states that nobody should owe anything to one another except love, Proverbs 22:7 affirms that the rich rules over the underprivileged and...