Homeowner sues town after house is demolished

A veteran returned to his New York home after undergoing knee surgery and found an empty lot where his house used to stand. "48 Hours" Crimesider's Graham Kates joins CBSN with more on the lawsuit and why the town decided to tear the house down.

[Cornfed_Off-road]

Your car had a dent, we towed it to the junk yard and had it crushed while you were at work.

[anonanonme]

Unless the city has documented proof this guy recieved these notices, get ready to write a big check.

[tjj]

Not only do they owe him a house, but all the furnishings and personal possessions that were inside.

[MondoBeno]

Not being kept up is NOT grounds to tear down the house. I've seen houses in upstate NY full of abandoned homes, and they go years without being demolished. Something fishy is going on here.

[JawTooth]

Why was there no mention of possessions? There had to be furniture and other items inside. Where did that go to

[okk]

This guy needs to get millions, he's sick, he lost his house, he paid for it and he lost personal items in it.

[zouhairsuleiman]

Not only was he paying his mortgage, but his taxes also and now we’re going to pay for a lawsuit from our pocket

[JHNielson]

He paid his property taxes didn't he?? How can they say it was abandoned. He should get at least 2x the assessed value.

[cannonballjenkins]

His neighbors look like the type that would sue you for saving their lives

[jamespolk]

He wasn't maintaining his house? Man it's not like he had a medical issue that impaired the use of one or both of his knees.

[charlesroberts]

This IS a crime. Pay the man for his house and MORE for pain and suffering!

[jefferyevans]

Instead of stepping in, helping him restore the place, they just appoint themselves to destroy it. God, I hope I never have those kind of neighbors!!!!

[jasonwhipp]

Ok so what if his house didn’t look “well kept”??? That’s not an excuse to demolish a house.

[sister]

Noone checked on him when his house started suddenly going down hill? Wow! His neighbors really suck as human beings.

[justice]

Lots of leaks?, how does the neighbor knows there were leaks inside the house?, he is just lying.

[Danymok]

Effects of Knee surgery:
Temporary pain in knee
Leg feeling numb
Bracing needing check ups
*Losing your home*

[kathyyoung]

A neighbor said there was “lots of trash.” He wasn’t throwing trash in his yard, and the neighbor knows that! One or both of those neighbors complained or the city wouldn’t have done this.

[dsdsmitty]

The city wanted the property - of course no one will admit that.

[gambitsfox]

I like how they claim it was overgrown and yet after they tear down the home it's STILL an overgrown lot.

[MegaSimpson]

The neighbors definitely wanted that house gone