The Tax Claim Bureau of Northampton County, relying solely on a Google search to locate a delinquent property owner, failed to conduct a reasonable investigation prior to a judicial sale of the property.
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, in an opinion by Judge Cohn Jubelirer, ruled the search insufficient and set aside the sale. Fernandez v. Tax Claim Bureau of Northampton County, No. 1600 C.D. 2006, __ A.2d __ (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2007). See C|Net News.com for more coverage.