A delinquent tax-payer in Northampton County can thank the limitations of Google for perhaps getting his house back. According to a
17-page opinion filed in the Pennsylvania court of common pleas, a supervisor in the Northampton County Tax office was trying to track down the guy, Charles Fernandez, in order to deliver him a delinquency notice. But rather than open a phone book or walk down the hall to check school-tax records, the county worker just Googled "Charles Fernandez." She found a phone number for what seemed to be the correct address. The number was disconnected. But the county worker didn't follow up as diligently as she should have. She admitted she didn't even open the phone book. After the house eventually was sold in a judicial sale, Fernandez showed up and sued the county to reverse the sale, claiming he never saw the posted notices and the county didn't follow its procedures. The first judge rejected his claim. But appellate judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer agreed with Fernandez, reversed the trial court and cancelled the sale of Fernandez's house. "Had the Bureau used the telephone number provided for `Chuck Fernandez' in the telephone book, it may have been able to reach him," Jubelirer wrote. "In addition, checking the telephone book seems to qualify as ordinary common sense business practice when one is seeking to obtain an address." (Hat tip to
CNET News) -
Jonathan Berr
