Jackson County homeowners could be part of class action lawsuit over assessments
While Jackson County races to hear the last of homeowners’ appeals from the troubled 2023 property valuation cycle, some could be eligible for a class action lawsuit.
The 2023 property tax valuation cycle — and to a lesser extent, the 2024 and 2025 cycles — have been the subject of widespread outrage in Jackson County, with skyrocketing property values alarming homeowners and business owners alike.
Reactions to the cycle have led to evolving legal action between county officials and the Missouri State Tax Commission.
Now, with the approval of a related class action lawsuit, residents have become party to the complex legal case.
A Jackson County judge certified the class action suit in April, and eligible homeowners began receiving emails this week. The class of potential claimants is represented by Humphrey, Farrington and McClain, an Independence firm with experience in class action settlements.
The settlement class includes any owner of residential property in Jackson County whose assessed home value increased by more than 15% in 2023, unless the increase was directly tied to significant home improvements.
That eligible group includes about 200,000 people, out of the 300,000 properties which saw an increase higher than 15% that year, according to Humphrey, Farrington and McClain. Property owners are still eligible even if they appealed their 2023 value, though the firm noted that a lawsuit win could result in a smaller payout for those who already secured a lower tax bill through the appeals process.
Those who owned property in Jackson County in 2023 but have since sold it could still be eligible to join the class action lawsuit even though they are no longer eligible for the three-year series of tax rebates proposed and promised by Interim Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota.
Class counsel Kenneth McClain, Jonathan Soper and Nichelle Oxley were not immediately available Friday for comment.
Evolving lawsuits
The class action case was sparked by an original pair of dueling lawsuits between the State Tax Commission and Jackson County at large, along with the Jackson County Board of Equalization former Jackson County Assessor Gail McCann Beatty and former Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr.
Issues with the 2023 and 2024 assessment cycles were a major contributing factor to White’s recall in September 2025, while McCann Beatty has since been publicly dismissed by LeVota and is involved in her own pending lawsuit against the county.
Over the last seven months, LeVota has proposed a series of tax policies intended to reverse or overwrite damages from the 2023 property tax cycle, including a retroactive 15% cap on residential property values from 2023. He also spearheaded a manual review of commercial properties valued under $5 million in 2023, retroactively adjusting some values.
LeVota recently spoke in support of an ordinance that would write his tax changes into the county code so that they could not be easily reversed when his temporary term expires on January 1, 2027. That ordinance, sponsored by Legislative Vice-Chair Sean Smith, is currently before the Legislature.
Meanwhile, some Jackson County taxing jurisdictions have criticized the county’s tax policies as hasty and damaging. In April, 12 Jackson County school superintendents penned an open letter to LeVota, expressing that retroactively changing property tax values would require “clawing back” money already allocated to — and spent by — schools.
Building a class
The lawsuit class is represented by Jackson County resident Nancy Wheeler, who started pushing for a class action suit in 2024, KCTV5 initially reported.
The lawsuit seeks direct refunds on overpaid 2023 property taxes, plus “additional money damages” and clarity from Jackson County courts on future property tax policy.
The firm’s first attempt to file a class action lawsuit over the tax rate hikes was shut down by a Jackson County judge in December 2023.
However, when the Missouri State Tax Commission ruled in 2024 that the 15%-plus value increases were unlawful without adequate notice, the firm sought a second chance to sue.
In August 2024, the state ordered Jackson County to roll back a majority of its 2023 residential assessment values over concerns about how and when the county notified homeowners during its assessment process. The county initially resisted implementing the rollback, bringing — and losing — a lawsuit against the State Tax Commission.
Attorneys for Jackson County officials have unsuccessfully moved to dismiss the class action lawsuit three times since, most recently in January 2026.
At the time, the defendants filed a counterclaim saying that while homeowners should have a legal pathway to recoup losses from the tax cycle, it was “premature” to notify residents in June. The larger case between county officials and the Missouri State Tax Commission is still pending, along with several appeals and at least one piece of tax legislation at the legislature level.
Are you in the class?
Anyone who receives an email in the coming days related to the settlement, or has already received one, will be considered part of the settlement class unless they opt out by written request or hire their own lawyer.
Some Jackson County residents began receiving emails Wednesday indicating that they were part of the settlement class.
Those who stay in the class after July 10 could receive some money if the settlement team wins, but will be unable to file their own claim directly against the county in the future even if the settlement team loses.
“If the Class obtains a recovery, you may be eligible to share in that recovery, though there is no guarantee of any recovery, and additional proceedings may be required to determine and distribute any individual amounts,” an FAQ published by Humphrey, Farrington and McClain reads.
