My jurisdiction is: Texas
I am renovating a property my wife and I own and occupy. An out of town owner has had a series of people move in and out of the house next door. He does owner financing. (these 'owners' names never appear on the county tax roles as deed transactions) He is reachable only through a P.O. box and doesn't so much as remove the piles of garbage left by successive occupants. The people before the present occupier gutted the inside. They not only tossed the one toilet, sink and bathtub in the place out on the curb, they tossed the bathroom floor and floor joists out as well. They decided it wasn't worth continuing and left it in that condition without moving in. A man with an extensive criminal history moved right in afterward, given six free months to improve the property. He promptly started dealing drugs to people in cars at the curb. I stepped out onto my front porch and pretended to take down the license #s of these buyers. His business dried up. He threatened to kill me in front of my wife. He had his electricity disconnected. He tampered with the meter and started stealing power. I reported it and went out to discuss the issue with the power company employee who came out to lock the meter. Afterward this man again threatened me with death. Later, I was laying on the ground digging a post hole for the fence I was putting up between our two houses, he came onto my lot and proceeded to call me names such as 'bitch', and 'pussy.' I stood up and took a step in his direction. He threw up his hands, and advancing further onto my lot toward me, said he was going to 'make me die.' I pulled a .38 snub nose from my back waistband and leveled it at him. He stopped but did not retreat. He stood there shrieking obscenities until the woman he lives with appeared, grabbed him and managed to pull him back just over the property line. There he stayed, periodically lunging onto my lot and retreating, threatening to kill me, until a police officer arrived.
I was strip searched and booked into the general population of the county jail, maximum security, charged with Aggrevated Assault With A Deadly Weapon. I had never so much as a speeding ticket before. I bonded out with 20% of $5,000 bail, cash.
Each step of this story was punctuated by my repeated calls to the police, city code enforcement, and the parole officer of the man in question, to no effect. Last week I went before a grand jury with my story and the support of good, like minded neighbors. I was no-billed. This guy is presently back in jail on an unrelated parole violation.
My questions are: can I sue this out of town owner who put this criminal into his property knowing it was unfit for human habitation? Does a Contract for Deed agreement between the two absolve him of all blame? Is the city liable for not enforcing code? No taxes have been paid on the house for five years either.
I am renovating a property my wife and I own and occupy. An out of town owner has had a series of people move in and out of the house next door. He does owner financing. (these 'owners' names never appear on the county tax roles as deed transactions) He is reachable only through a P.O. box and doesn't so much as remove the piles of garbage left by successive occupants. The people before the present occupier gutted the inside. They not only tossed the one toilet, sink and bathtub in the place out on the curb, they tossed the bathroom floor and floor joists out as well. They decided it wasn't worth continuing and left it in that condition without moving in. A man with an extensive criminal history moved right in afterward, given six free months to improve the property. He promptly started dealing drugs to people in cars at the curb. I stepped out onto my front porch and pretended to take down the license #s of these buyers. His business dried up. He threatened to kill me in front of my wife. He had his electricity disconnected. He tampered with the meter and started stealing power. I reported it and went out to discuss the issue with the power company employee who came out to lock the meter. Afterward this man again threatened me with death. Later, I was laying on the ground digging a post hole for the fence I was putting up between our two houses, he came onto my lot and proceeded to call me names such as 'bitch', and 'pussy.' I stood up and took a step in his direction. He threw up his hands, and advancing further onto my lot toward me, said he was going to 'make me die.' I pulled a .38 snub nose from my back waistband and leveled it at him. He stopped but did not retreat. He stood there shrieking obscenities until the woman he lives with appeared, grabbed him and managed to pull him back just over the property line. There he stayed, periodically lunging onto my lot and retreating, threatening to kill me, until a police officer arrived.
I was strip searched and booked into the general population of the county jail, maximum security, charged with Aggrevated Assault With A Deadly Weapon. I had never so much as a speeding ticket before. I bonded out with 20% of $5,000 bail, cash.
Each step of this story was punctuated by my repeated calls to the police, city code enforcement, and the parole officer of the man in question, to no effect. Last week I went before a grand jury with my story and the support of good, like minded neighbors. I was no-billed. This guy is presently back in jail on an unrelated parole violation.
My questions are: can I sue this out of town owner who put this criminal into his property knowing it was unfit for human habitation? Does a Contract for Deed agreement between the two absolve him of all blame? Is the city liable for not enforcing code? No taxes have been paid on the house for five years either.
Last edited:
