Important Dates
Settlement deadlines and procedural history
Mark these dates. Missing a deadline may affect your legal rights.
Upcoming
- 1
Settlement Notices Mailed
October 19, 2026Settlement notices mailed to Class members.
- 2
Class Counsel's Fee Request Filed
November 4, 2026Class Counsel files its request for attorneys' fees, expenses, and a service award for the Class Representative. The request will be posted on the Case Documents page within two business days after it is filed.
- 3
Deadline to Exclude Yourself or Object
November 18, 2026Deadline to exclude yourself from the settlement or to object to it. Your request or objection must be postmarked by this date. See exclusion instructions.
- 4
Fairness Hearing
November 23, 2026, 9:30 a.m.Fairness Hearing, at which the Court will decide whether to give the settlement final approval. The hearing will be held in Division 60 of the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri, at Kansas City. The Court may move the Fairness Hearing without mailing another notice. Any change will be posted on this website and on this page.
- 5
Claim Deadline
December 3, 2026Deadline to submit a Former Owner Claim Form or a Special-Circumstances Fund Claim Form. Claims must be submitted online or postmarked by this date. Get the claim forms.
Procedural History
How this case got here, from the original Tilton filing through the Missouri Supreme Court's Permanent Writ, the State Tax Commission's August 6, 2024 Order, the County's subsequent petition naming property owners, class certification, and the proposed settlement.
- June 20, 2023
Class Action Petition Filed
Class Counsel filed a Class Action Petition in Tilton et al. v. Jackson County, Missouri, et al., Case No. 2316-CV16440 (“Tilton”). Less than a month later, Class Counsel amended the petition to add allegations that any increase in assessed value during the 2023 general reassessment of more than 15% above the prior valuation was unlawful.
- October 10, 2023
Trial Court Denies the County's Motion to Dismiss
The trial court in Tilton denied the County's Motion to Dismiss, filed on August 10, 2023, holding that the case could proceed to the class certification stage and allowing the County to propose a class definition if desired.
- October 25, 2023
Western District Denies the County's Petition for Writ
The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, in State ex rel. Jackson Cty. v. Chamberlain, Case No. WD86646, denied the County's Petition for Writ, filed October 19, 2023, declining to order the trial court to dismiss the class action in Tilton.
- December 19, 2023
Missouri Supreme Court Issues a Permanent Writ
The Missouri Supreme Court, in State ex rel. Jackson Cty. v. Chamberlain, 679 S.W.3d 463 (Mo. 2023), after ordering expedited briefing and hearing oral argument, entered its Permanent Writ of Mandamus, requiring the trial court to vacate its order overruling the County's motion to dismiss in Tilton and ordering that the trial court sustain the County's motion to dismiss.
- December 19, 2023
State Tax Commission Files Its Own Lawsuit
The same day the Missouri Supreme Court entered its Permanent Writ, the State Tax Commission filed a lawsuit against the County in State of Missouri v. Jackson County, Missouri, Case No. 2316-CV33643, challenging the lawfulness of any 2023 assessment increase above 15%.
- August 6, 2024
State Tax Commission Order
The Missouri State Tax Commission issued an Order finding that Defendants failed to provide proper notice of the 2023 reassessment and failed to perform required physical inspections for properties whose assessed values increased by more than 15%.
- September 4, 2024
The County Names Property Owners in a New Lawsuit
The County filed a petition against the State Tax Commission challenging the lawfulness of its August 6, 2024 Order, in Beatty et al. v. State Tax Commission, Case No. 2416-CV25478 — the case now docketed as Wheeler v. Beatty. The County also named as Respondents all Jackson County taxpayers who had open appeals of the 2023 assessment pending before the State Tax Commission on August 6, 2024.
- October 18, 2024
Class Counsel Files a Class Action Counterclaim
Class Counsel, on behalf of Nancy Wheeler and all others similarly situated, filed a counterclaim in Beatty et al. v. State Tax Commission, Case No. 2416-CV25478, alleging negligence and violations of the Hancock Amendment, and seeking declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as compensation for the Class.
- March 31, 2025
Circuit Court Judgment Upholding STC Order
The Circuit Court of Jackson County entered Judgment upholding the State Tax Commission's August 6, 2024 Order.
- April 2, 2026
Class Certification Order
The Court certified the Class under Missouri Rule of Civil Procedure 52.08(b)(2) and (b)(3) and appointed Nancy Wheeler as Class Representative and Humphrey, Farrington & McClain, P.C. as Class Counsel.
- July 8, 2026
Settlement Term Sheet Signed
Following mediation before the Honorable Jay A. Daugherty (Ret.), the parties signed a binding settlement term sheet.
- July 10, 2026
Original Exclusion Deadline Passed
The deadline to request exclusion from the certified Class passed; however under the terms of the settlement, all class members are given a second chance to exclude themselves by November 18, 2026.
- August 24, 2026
Settlement Agreement Signed
The parties entered into the Class Action Settlement Agreement and Release.
- September 25, 2026
Preliminary Approval of the Settlement
The Court granted preliminary approval of the settlement.
- October 6, 2026
Amended Order Setting the Settlement Schedule
The Court entered an Amended Order setting the current schedule, including the November 23, 2026 Fairness Hearing, and stayed all other litigation pending that hearing.