Attention Detroit Property Owners – Your Rights May Have Been Violated!

It is alleged that the City of Detroit and the Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA) have unlawfully seized properties from Detroit homeowners through the Nuisance Abatement Program (NAP). It is alleged that the Detroit Land Bank Authority has wrongfully taken over 1,300 homes from private owners, reselling over 400 properties and keeping 100% of the proceeds—without compensating the rightful property owners. This action may violate the Takings Clause of the U.S. Constitution, Article X, Section 2 of the Michigan Constitution, and common-law principles of unjust enrichment.

Key Allegations Against the Detroit Land Bank Authority:
  • Seized homes under the Nuisance Abatement Program without due process or just compensation.
  • Sold properties at auction, retaining all profits while providing nothing to the original owners.
  • Targeted properties through aggressive litigation, often securing default judgments against homeowners.
  • Pressured property owners into signing agreements that led to forfeiture if renovations were not completed within 180 days.
  • Kept millions of dollars in property sale proceeds instead of returning them to former owners.
  • Disproportionately impacted low-income and minority homeowners who lacked legal representation.
Who Is Affected?

If you or a family member owned a residential property in Detroit and had it seized by the Detroit Land Bank Authority under the NAP, you may be eligible to seek compensation.

Experience Matters

Sauder Schelkopf has a nationally recognized litigation practice. The firm currently serves as court-appointed lead counsel in courts across the country.  The attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf have recovered over $1 billion on behalf of their clients and class members. Our firm was recognized by the Legal Intelligencer’s 2022 Professional Excellence Awards. The Legal Intelligencer’s Professional Excellence Awards honor Pennsylvania law firms and attorneys who have made a significant, positive impact on the legal profession. Our firm was named in the Litigation Departments of the Year (Specialty Area category; runner-up), an award that honors the best litigation practice in a small or mid-sized firm in Pennsylvania. This recognition was based on the firm’s 2021 litigation work and its important ongoing cases. LawDragon has recognized our attorneys in its list of the “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers” for 2022.  This list notes: “From the opioid epidemic to toxic substances and defective products, truck accidents to wildfires and sexual abuse, these are the lawyers who stand on the front line in individual lawsuits and class actions seeking justice.” Mr. Schelkopf was named to Pennsylvania’s Best Lawyers® 2022 for Class Actions/Mass Tort Litigation. The American Lawyer named Mr. Sauder to its 2021 Northeast Trailblazers. The honor recognizes 60 lawyers who are “truly agents of change.” It “recognizes professionals in the Northeast who have moved the needle in the legal industry.” The Legal Intelligencer named Mr. Sauder and Mr. Schelkopf in its 2020 Pennsylvania Trailblazers list recognizing 31 lawyers who “have taken extra measures to contribute to positive outcomes . . . and who are truly agents of change.” The Legal highlighted the firm’s innovative work on advocacy as class counsel in large institutional sex abuse cover-ups, women’s, and children’s rights. Our attorneys have also consistently been recognized by their peers being named to Pennsylvania SuperLawyer, a distinction held by the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania.  The National Trial Lawyers Association has also selected our attorneys as the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania.

We Want to Hear from You

Contact us if you or a family member owned a residential property in Detroit and had it seized by the Detroit Land Bank Authority under the NAP