For claimants filing motions in Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court to reclaim property-tax foreclosure auction profits from sales occurring between 2015 - 2020.

(The deadline to file a motion according to MCL - Section 211.78t  was October 1st, 2025)

To use this guide, you MUST have received a letter labeled "Notice to Claimant  to File Motion with Circuit Court.” Everyone else, scroll to the bottom for additional options.

If you are an heir (your deceased relative owned the property at the time of foreclosure) please contact Attorney Deborah Choly for assistance, dcholy@detroitjustice.org. Do not file a motion until you speak with her.

We are not attorneys and this is not legal advice. You are representing yourself in this matter and assume all pertinent risks.

Step 1: Complete a “Do-it yourself motion”

1. Keep your Notice to Claimant handy for reference.

2. Visit this website (https://go.outliermedia.org/DIY-motion)

3. Start motion “interview” as a guest (must agree to terms)

4. Answer all questions truthfully. If you make a mistake, press “back.”

5. Date of foreclosure: March 31 of the year the home was foreclosed. This will be the same year as the “Date of Property Sale” on the Notice.

6. Date of sale: This is the “Date of Property Sale” on the Notice.

7. County: Wayne

8. Judge: Patricia Fresard

9. Case #: Enter the following based on your foreclosure year. Note that the two case numbers are separated by a space. Enter two case numbers in the box.

Foreclosure Year | Case number:

2015  | 14-007672-CH 19-008381-CH

2016  | 15-007718-CH 19-008381-CH

2017  | 16-007539-CH 19-008381-CH

2018  | 17-008808-CH 19-008381-CH

2019  | 18-006771-CH 19-008381-CH

10. Parcel identification number: This is the “foreclosed property ID number” on your Notice to Claimant.

11. Indicate that you do not have a lawyer representing you. (If you paid for a lawyer, you shouldn’t be filling out this motion.)

12. E-sign the motion.

13. Click “Download Your Forms.” Save the form to your computer 

14. Go to https://wayne.mi.publicsearch.us/ to acquire your deed 

15. Use Free PDF Merger to merge the motion pdf and your deed together. You can also your acrobat or preview.

16. Your motion must be saved as a PDF in 8.5 x 11 inch format. If it is not saved this way, the court will reject it.

For Mac Users

1. Open your combined document.

2. Go to File > Print.

3. In the lower-left corner of the print box, click the PDF button.

4. Choose Save as PDF.

5. This saves your document in the correct 8.5 x 11 inch size.

For Windows Users

1. Open your combined document.

2. Go to File > Print.

3. In the Printer drop-down menu, select Microsoft Print to PDF.

4. Click Print, then choose where to save your file.

5. The saved PDF will be in the correct 8.5 x 11 inch size.

Step 2: Create a MiFile Account

1. If you don’t already have a MiFile account for filing court documents electronically, visit https://mifile.courts.michigan.gov/

2. Click “Sign up” at top right.

3. Enter your personal information and a new password. Record the password.

4. Check “I will file to a case where I am representing myself (pro se)”.

5. Click sign up.

6. Activate your account by clicking a link sent to your email.

Step 3: File your motion

1. Log in to MiFile and search for Case # 19-008381-CH in the Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court.

2. Click on the case. Select “File to this case”

3. Accept the prompt stating that your filing will contain no personal information.

4. Select yourself as the “filer.”

5. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Click to upload documents or drag and drop documents into the box at the bottom of the page.

6. Choose the filing type “miscellaneous motion filed PD $20” if you do not have a fee waiver, and “miscellaneous motion filed WVD” if you do. 

   1. Make sure to attach your Fee Waiver to your motion if you have gotten one signed and stamped by the judge. 

7. Add Shiva Shahmir, shiva@outliermedia.org, to receive a courtesy copy of case notices. If your motion is rejected, we will attempt to get in touch with you.

8. Pay the motion fee of $20 (+.60 cent transaction fee)

   1. If your motion is rejected for any reason, the court will refund the $20 so that you can refile. 

9. Click next and you will be prompted to “add payment account”. 

   1. Once you have added your payment information and clicked “add account” you will be prompted to submit. 

10. Submit your motion!

FAQ

I didn’t receive a letter

If you have not received a letter labeled "Notice to Claimant  to File Motion with Circuit Court" since filing your interest to claim form this spring, please email Shiva.

I missed the deadline

If you missed the March 31st (extended to April 8th) 2025 deadline to submit your "Notice of intention to claim interest in foreclosure sale proceeds from sales occurring prior to December 22, 2020," fill out this form so that we can contact you if an opportunity for a class action develops.

We are not attorneys and this is not legal advice. You are representing yourself in this matter. Outlier Media is not an advocacy organization. 

When following the video for efiling on MiFile. Skip the step that asks you to "Add Party." For some reason, the court has been rejecting the addition of parties. Skip to "File to this case."

When using the Do-It-Yourself tool, make sure you download Motion to Claim Proceeds Before July 18 2020 - CC 541.pdf when you finish the survey. 

You still have to E-File this .pdf with a copy of your deed and any other supplemental documents attached. 

Make sure all pages of the document you are submitting is formatted to 8.5x11 and that personal information like birthday or social security # are redacted.

Request a Fee Waiver

Filing the motion costs $20, but you may qualify for a fee waiver. If you are planning to apply for a waiver, please be aware that it must be approved before efiling your motion. You will then need to include the waiver as part of your motion.

To request one, visit the 7th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, where a judge must sign this form:
Fee Waiver Request Form (MC 20)
MLH Do-It-Yourself Fee Waiver Tool