City Board Agrees our Client is not Subject to Real Estate Taxes

We represent a large and influential Mosque in Philadelphia which has been in existence for over 20 years. The Mosque was not just a place of worship, but it also contains a K-8th grade school and serves as a community center, near 4th and Germantown Avenue. Even though we had secured IRS section 501c3 non-profit status years ago, and have continually complied with all levels of governmental regulation, the City of Philadelphia would not agree that the Mosque was entitled to tax-free status for local property taxes (like churches, synagogues, private schools, etc).

The City required that we prove the Mosque was a “charitable organization”. We appealed the tax assessment and litigated the matter for over 18 months. I am pleased to report that on December 24, 2013, the Board of Revision of Taxes issued a decision that our client is only responsible for a tax on 2% of the property (representing the portion of the property that is “for-profit”—a small restaurant located inside the building.

Contact Shaffer & Gaier

To set up a free initial consultation, contact our office online or call our office location in Philadelphia at 215-751-0100, or in New Jersey at 856-429-0970.

A Good Way to Start Getting Ready For Trial

We filed a lawsuit against a well-known Philadelphia law firm for not honoring a written agreement to pay a referral fee for our client, another lawyer. Referral fees are a common practice, and the defendant law firm would not honor its own written agreement. The case is set for trial in April in the Philadelphia Court’s Commerce Program.

In my view, the written contract is clear and unambiguous, so no oral testimony is needed to interpret the contract. This was the key to the whole trial and, of course, the Defendant disagreed, and wanted to explain his way out of honoring his own written words. I also didn’t trust my adversary from bringing in inflammatory and irrelevant testimony at the trial, so I filed four pre-trial motions (called motions in limine) for the Court to rule on before the trial started.

I am pleased to report that on February 15, 2013, Judge McInnerny granted all four of my motions.

The most important of these orders precludes the defendant from introducing any oral testimony to give his version of the contract. Upon receiving these orders, I recalculated my settlement demands, and I expect the defendants to come to the table with a reasonable offer.

Contact Shaffer & Gaier

To set up a free initial consultation, contact our office online or call our foreclosure hotline at 855-289-1660. Or call our office location in Philadelphia at 215-751-0100, or in New Jersey at 856-429-0970.

Wall Street Bailout – Somebody Had To Cause This Problem

In this time of national economic crisis, the Bush administration and Congress are implementing a legislative package aimed at resolving the country’s current financial problems. However, the banks are seeking not only money from the taxpayers, but immunity from lawsuits concerning their unscrupulous lending practices.

It was a hard pill to swallow; $700B to bailout the huge companies that got themselves in this mess. However, when you hear about companies like AIG taking $400,000 junkets after receiving Federal assistance, it just makes your blood boil. However, the chickens need to come home to roost eventually and certainly the banks are beginning to run for cover. Seeing the vulnerability of their position, they are beginning to ask for immunity from lawsuits brought by defrauded investors and shareholders. Congress should do everything to prevent immunity to these lending institutions of investors and shareholders. At Shaffer & Gaier, we have represented consumers who were taken advantage of by these businesses.

Bala House Montessori School – Ground Breaking Ceremony

In addition to managing our law firm, Michael Shaffer also serves on the Board of the Trustees of the Bala House Montessori School in Bala Cynwyd, PA. Michael has three children, Sophie 8 years old and Sam and David, twins who are quickly approaching 5. All three of his children have attended this terrific school and Michael is proud to be on the Board of its Trustees.

Just last week, the Bala House Montessori School, after 20 years of saving, investing and raising money broke ground on a new wing. Michael is the Chairman of the Development Committee which has raised over significant monies toward this $3M project. One of the best things about the Bala House Montessori School is its diversity. Although its school is located on the Main Line, it boasts diversity of almost 40%; offering scholarships to economically disadvantaged children throughout the City of Philadelphia. At Shaffer & Gaier, we take our commitment to the community very seriously and sometimes this is the most rewarding work we do.

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