Judge: Cuyahoga's property tax error cost taxpayers millions

Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — A judge says about 3,000 Ohio property owners are owed millions because of a decade-old error calculating property taxes.

Cuyahoga County Judge John O'Donnell says members of a class-action lawsuit alleging property tax overcharging in 2009, 2010 and 2011 are owed $3.9 million in restitution.

The judge said in a ruling last month that the award includes more than $870,000 in interest. O'Donnell said attorneys representing the taxpayers should receive half the amount or about $2.4 million of the total.

The Plain Dealer reports the county disagrees with the ruling and has appealed.

Taxpayers who sued blamed erroneous tax bills and delays in a county tax revision board's administrative process.

The county says that property owners could have used the administrative process to sort out discrepancies in property tax bills.

Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com