Suffolk County Homeowner Commits Suicide After Being Evicted for Tax Default
Judith Orlando stepped in front of a train a few blocks from home after receiving a notice that Suffolk County was going to evict her family from their modest house on Holly Lane in Shirley. Mrs. Orlando, who handled the family finances, had been hiding the fact that they owed $40,260.30 in back taxes after she ignored notices from the county for more than three years. In March 2001, the county took possession of the home, forcing the family to pay rent. The eviction notice says the family owes $7,700 in unpaid rent. After her death, Sal, her broken-hearted husband of 39 years, began paying the $550 per month rent due the county. He told Newsday, which published articles on September 29 which are the source of the information in this brief, that the county won’t allow payment for back taxes and will not let him pay off the rent that is in arrears. In a related matter, Newsday reported that Suffolk County legislators passed a bill sponsored by Ricardo Montano (D-Central Islip) that would return to homeowners the excess equity beyond over-due taxes after property is auctioned because of tax foreclosures. One Middle Island property had been seized in July 2001 for non-payment of $2,412 and the county sold it for $100,000, yielding a profit of $97,588.
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