Important Dates
Deadlines, trial dates, and procedural history
Mark these dates. Missing a deadline may affect your legal rights.
Upcoming
- 1
Exclusion (Opt-Out) Deadline
July 10, 2026The last day to mail a written request to be excluded from the claims seeking monetary relief. After this date, you will be bound by any judgment the Court enters on those claims. See exclusion instructions.
- 2
Trial Dates
Late 2026 / Early 2027The Court intends to hold a bench trial on the Class's Constitutional and Statutory claims in November or December 2026. The Court has not yet set a date for a jury trial on the Class's Negligence claim, but the parties anticipate that it will occur in the early part of 2027.
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, and class certification.
- 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.