A legal document filed Monday in the $20,000 sanctions case against "birther" attorney Orly Taitz creates a lien on all her real property, the notice states.
Contacted Tuesday, Taitz said she won't give the government the satisfaction of taking her property or potentially her law license and will pay the money, if the U.S. Supreme Court denies her appeals.
The notice, titled "Abstract of Judgment," is the first step the government has taken to collect the $20,000 plus interest in sanctions U.S. District Court Judge Clay Land imposed on Taitz in October, said Columbus attorney Frank Martin.
"This is a notice that the federal government has put a $20,000 lien plus interest on Orly Taitz," Martin added. "This lien trumps the Internal Revenue Code. This lien has priority over everything else."
The Abstract of Judgment creates a court record, which means the government has a basis to move forward with collecting the sanctions. That could mean the government can force the sale of Taitz’s property or potentially seize her property, Martin said.
"She may can drag it out," Martin cautioned.
Columbus attorney William Mason said that if Taitz tries to sell any property, the buyer will have to settle the lien.
The interest rate is .36 percent, amounting to $72 on $20,000.
Taitz has represented two people in Columbus who questioned their military orders on arguments that President Barack Obama couldn't legitimately hold office. It was the case of Capt. Connie Rhodes that led Land to sanction Taitz after he warned her and then gave her a time limit to explain why he shouldn't fine her.
Taitz appealed the sanctions to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. That court upheld the sanctions in May, and Taitz sent an application for stay to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on July 8.
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