HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle

SWAT Team Destroyed Innocent Woman’s Home and Refused to Pay for Repairs

Views: 876
This summer Vicki Baker woke up one morning to every homeowner’s worst nightmare: the night before a fugitive had taken refuge in her second home, and after a standoff, the police SWAT team used tear gas grenades, explosives and an armored vehicle to utterly destroy the home. They called it “shock and awe.”

https://ij.org/case/texas-swat-destruction/

The incident left Vicki in shock, too. When the smoke cleared, the home—which her daughter was living in and which was under contract to sell—was uninhabitable. The only living thing that survived the raid was her daughter’s dog, which was left deaf and blind from the explosions.

Vicki, who had recently moved to Montana to retire, was left holding the bill. The city of McKinney and her homeowner’s insurance company told her that police had “immunity” and wouldn’t pay for a dime of the damage. A few days later, the buyer walked away and the sale fell through.

All told, Vicki spent more than $50,000 and months of time to repair her home. She ran up debt on her credit cards, and when those ran out, she had to withdraw funds from her retirement account to afford the repairs. When she finally sold the home this winter, it was for substantially less than before the raid.

Although her home is sold, Vicki’s work in McKinney is not done. Today she partnered with the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit public interest law firm, to sue the city of McKinney for the damage its police did to her home.

“In America, ‘if you break it, you buy it,’” said IJ Attorney Jeff Redfern. “The McKinney SWAT team didn’t just break Vicki’s home—they destroyed it . Now it is time for them to pay for the damage they caused.”

The lawsuit, which was filed in the Eastern District of Texas federal court, argues that McKinney’s refusal to pay for the damage violates that Just Compensation clauses of both the U.S. and Texas Constitutions.

“The United States and Texas Constitutions make it clear that when the government deprives someone of her property to benefit the public good, the government must compensate the owner,” said Suranjan Sen, a Liberty and Law fellow at the Institute for Justice. “For instance, if a city uses eminent domain to seize a home to build a road, it must pay the homeowner the fair market value for their property. The same principle applies in Vicki’s case. Taking a fugitive off the streets benefits everyone, so the cost of the damages caused by the SWAT team should be borne by everyone, not Vicki alone.”

“I appreciate that the police did what they thought was necessary to protect the community,” Vicki said. “I don’t question their actions, but it’s unfair to place the costs—replacing or redoing all of my flooring, the burst pipes, the damaged roof, the blown-out garage door, the broken doors, the toppled fence— on me, just because the guy happened to pick my house and not someone else’s.”
Donate to IJ: https://ij.org/support/give-now/
@IJvidsfollow
Thumbnail for SWAT team DESTROYED Innocent Woman’s Home but City Refused to Pay0:54
SWAT team DESTROYED Innocent Woman’s Home but City Refused to Pay
IJvids
853 views
Thumbnail for Tucker talks about new Ministry of Truth17:16
Tucker talks about new Ministry of Truth
bestofvoatxyz
751 views
Thumbnail for Sen. John McCain: 'States Should Decide' Pot Legalization0:26
Sen. John McCain: 'States Should Decide' Pot Legalization
ReasonVids
874 views
Thumbnail for Cameras vs. LAPD: Was A Photographer Interfering or Just Taking Pictures?4:40
Cameras vs. LAPD: Was A Photographer Interfering or Just Taking Pictures?
ReasonVids
983 views
Thumbnail for The Miami GOP Debate in 90 Seconds2:05
The Miami GOP Debate in 90 Seconds
ReasonVids
1014 views
Thumbnail for (((Alex Jones)))0:24
(((Alex Jones)))
bestofupgoat
83 views
Thumbnail for Theodore L. Gunderson (7 November 1928 – 31 July 2011) was a FBI Special Agent In Charge and head of the Los Angeles FBI4:02
Theodore L. Gunderson (7 November 1928 – 31 July 2011) was a FBI Special Agent In Charge and head of the Los Angeles FBI
AOUisgay
532 views
Thumbnail for Halo 2 Classic - Team Slayer - Ascension (XBOX ONE) | Mystical Gaming7:31
Halo 2 Classic - Team Slayer - Ascension (XBOX ONE) | Mystical Gaming
invidious
375 views
Thumbnail for Remy: Grandma Got Indefinitely Detained (A Very TSA Christmas)2:24
Remy: Grandma Got Indefinitely Detained (A Very TSA Christmas)
ReasonVids
932 views
Thumbnail for Stone Age Minds: A conversation with evolutionary psychologists Leda Cosmides and John Tooby9:59
Stone Age Minds: A conversation with evolutionary psychologists Leda Cosmides and John Tooby
ReasonVids
887 views
Thumbnail for Life, Liberty & Happiness - Q&A with American Visionary Art Museum's Rebecca Hoffberger7:43
Life, Liberty & Happiness - Q&A with American Visionary Art Museum's Rebecca Hoffberger
ReasonVids
946 views
Thumbnail for The Current State of China & Hong Kong8:10
The Current State of China & Hong Kong
bestofsaidit
685 views
Thumbnail for Sleeping koala0:08
Sleeping koala
bestofupgoat
375 views
Thumbnail for Hugs!!! 🤗🐒0:06
Hugs!!! 🤗🐒
bestofupgoat
248 views
Thumbnail for Camille Paglia's Epic Anti-Hillary Rant1:09
Camille Paglia's Epic Anti-Hillary Rant
ReasonVids
732 views
Thumbnail for Paved With Good Intentions: A Story of Race Relations in America1:06:47
Paved With Good Intentions: A Story of Race Relations in America
AmericanRenaissance
1328 views
Thumbnail for geometry dash logic | ItsDubVIP [GD]0:57
geometry dash logic | ItsDubVIP [GD]
invidious
305 views
Thumbnail for What if Government Ran Health Care? (Sprint Ad Remix)1:00
What if Government Ran Health Care? (Sprint Ad Remix)
ReasonVids
873 views
Thumbnail for PayPal Stock TANKS After INSANE Social Credit System BACKFIRED, PayPal Claims It Was An Error21:49
PayPal Stock TANKS After INSANE Social Credit System BACKFIRED, PayPal Claims It Was An Error
bestofsaidit
890 views
Thumbnail for Carolina Beach Food Trucks Victory1:36
Carolina Beach Food Trucks Victory
IJvids
812 views
Thumbnail for Andrea Weck & School Choice3:51
Andrea Weck & School Choice
IJvids
1026 views
Thumbnail for Overcrowded: The Messy Politics of CA's Prison Crisis9:43
Overcrowded: The Messy Politics of CA's Prison Crisis
ReasonVids
921 views

points

Permalink
Reply
ij, institute for justice, freedom, liberty, individual rights, constitution, constitutional law, unconstitutional law, con law, constitutional litigation
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle