A Texas company is suing the Galveston Central Appraisal District.
Valerus Compression Services and Valerus Compression Services Management LLC filed a lawsuit March 20 in the Galveston County Court against Galveston Central Appraisal District.
The complaint states on Jan. 1, 2012, the plaintiff owned equipment in Galveston County. Valerus Compression says they timely filed 2012 dealer heavy equipment inventory declarations in Harris County and remitted heavy equipment inventory tax payments, as required.
The plaintiff states its principal place of business is in Harris County and therefore the property is taxable in Harris County. As a result, the Galveston appraisal district's listing of such equipment on its 2012 appraisal rolls is illegal and erroneous, according to the complaint.
In addition, the plaintiffs contend the valuation placed on their equipment by the Galveston County Chief Appraiser is grossly in excess of the value as required to be calculated under the Code and unequal compared to similar equipment.
The plaintiffs are seeking to have the court delete the equipment from the Galveston District's 2012 appraisal rolls or in the alternative, that the court fix the market values of the equipment, order the defendant to properly undertake all post-appeal administrative procedures and are seeking an award of costs and fees.
They are being represented in the case by Patrick W. Mizell, Glen Rosenbaum, Russell T. Gips and William P. Geise of Vinson & Elkins LLP.
Galveston County Court Case No. 14-CV-0330
This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Galveston County Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.