US Supreme Court Makes Decision on Family's Home

The US Supreme Court decided that the county did not have to pay the family the full value of their home. The court said the price from a public auction was enough.
The court made a 9-0 decision, meaning all judges agreed. They said the government does not have to pay the full market value of a home when it is sold for taxes.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the government does not have to compensate former owners based on what their property could have sold for.
The court said making the government pay the full market value would be too hard for local governments and make tax sales impractical.
A family in Michigan said the county took their home over a tax bill they did not owe.
The Pung family's home is at the center of the case. The family said the county took their home over a tax bill that was never owed.
Justice Alito said if the family's rule was used, the government would lose money on tax sales. This would make tax sales not workable.
The case started after Isabella County took the Pung family's home over a tax debt. The family said this was 'home equity theft'.
The county sold the home at auction for $76,000, but it was worth $194,000. The family said the government should pay them the full value.
The court said it would not decide if the procedure used to take the home was fair.
The court sent the case back to a lower court to look at the procedure used to take the home.
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The Pung family is suing Isabella County over 'home equity theft'.
The family's lawyer, Larry Salzman, said they were disappointed but would keep fighting the case.
Salzman said they believe the Constitution requires fair market value in some cases. Justices Thomas and Gorsuch agree.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that what the county did to the Pung family was wrong and likely unconstitutional.
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Isabella County said the Supreme Court should reject the family's 'fair-market-value theory'.
The county said Michael Pung did not follow the rules to keep his tax exemption and did not pay the tax bill.
The Pung family posed for a photo before their Supreme Court case.
Isabella County said it gave the family the surplus money from the auction. The county said this was enough to satisfy the 'just compensation' requirement.
Isabella County did not comment on the decision right away.
Kristine Parks is a reporter for Fox News Digital.