Homeowner challenges reassessments after friend briefly added to title; Board hears weeks-long testimony

Summary

Lori Ann Lemaire told Ventura County’s Assessment Appeals Board No. 2 that a friend’s $300,000 gift led to title changes in 2021 that she says did not alter beneficial ownership. The assessor countered that recorded deeds and monetary contribution meet the deed‑presumption test; the board added a March 26, 2021 date to the appeal and set follow-ups for valuation.

The Ventura County Assessment Appeals Board No. 2 heard multi‑hour testimony April 6 from homeowner Lori Ann Lemaire, who asked the board to overturn reassessments that followed a series of title transfers in 2021 and 2024.

Lemaire testified she and her sister bought their home in 2003 and that when her sister left the house in 2021 a friend, J.D. Silvestri, provided $300,000 so Lemaire could stay in the property. Lemaire said Silvestri was placed on title to facilitate financing but “he never received any benefit” and “never lived there,” and that the final outcome was that she became sole occupant and payer of taxes. “It was my house all along. It’s me that pays everything for it,” Lemaire said in testimony.

The assessor’s team, represented by Joe Phillips and appraiser Rebecca Jeffreys, argued the recorded deeds create a legal presumption that parties…

Homeowner challenges reassessments after friend briefly added to title; Board hears weeks-long testimony

Summary

Subscribe to keep reading