Supreme Court Ruling Void Tax Sale in Jeff Co Alabama

[Brooke Boyd]

Hello! Can anyone tell me if the Supreme Court ruled that the auctions on some tax sales may be void if they were not bought on the courthouse steps in Jefferson County AL? 

[Denise Evans]

The decision was Stiff v. Equivest. Yes, they ruled that way. It might have been on the law, which means the decision would apply to all tax sales. It might have been on the facts, which means the decision voided only that one tax sale. Despite that, the legislature passed a bill and it was signed into law, retroactively, saying tax auctions can happen anyplace inside the courthouse or on courthouse property. That fixed the problem. The law has been nicknamed "the Stiff Fix."