Case Name: WLHS v. City of Milwaukee
Type of Case: Individual liberties
Court: Milwaukee County Circuit Court
Filed On: June 22, 2022
Current Status: WILL wins summary judgment on February 2, 2023.
WISCONSIN LUTHERAN WINS SUMMARY JUDGMENT AGAINST CITY OF MILWAUKEE FOR UNLAWFUL PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENT
June 15, 2023 | WILL continues to prevail in standing up for choice schools, religious freedom, and the rule of law.
WISCONSIN LUTHERAN SUES CITY OF MILWAUKEE FOR UNLAWFUL PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENT
June 22, 2022 | WILL attorneys filed a lawsuit against the City of Milwaukee on behalf of Wisconsin Lutheran High School after the City unlawfully assessed the school for $105,000 in property taxes. The City is trying to tax Wisconsin Lutheran for a campus building that is owned by the school and used for student housing and other educational purposes.
The Lawsuit: Attorneys with the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a lawsuit against the City of Milwaukee on behalf of Wisconsin Lutheran High School after the City unlawfully assessed the school for $105,000 in property taxes. The City is trying to tax Wisconsin Lutheran for a campus building that is owned by the school and used for student housing and other educational purposes
Background: Wisconsin Lutheran High School owns a building called Honey Creek Hall that it uses for student housing and other educational purposes. It is used exclusively by Wisconsin Lutheran and is not available to the general public.
Wisconsin Lutheran is an educational institution and a nonprofit organization substantially and primarily devoted to educational purposes and it uses Honey Creek Hall to support its educational mission. But the City of Milwaukee assessed the property for $105,946.14 in property taxes even though state law exempts from property tax buildings used exclusively by a church or religious association for educational purposes.
Wisconsin Lutheran filed a property tax exemption with the City of Milwaukee in February 2021 and received a denial in October. Wisconsin Lutheran then paid the property tax bill and filed a refund claim. That refund claim was denied.
CASE DOCUMENTS
- WILL Summons and Complaint, June 22, 2022
- Exhibit 1, June 22, 2022
- Exhibit 2, June 22, 2022
- Exhibit 3, June 22, 2022
- Exhibit 4, June 22, 2022
- Exhibit 5, June 22, 2022
- Summary Judgment, February 2, 2023
