What a greedy and idiotic family.

They supposedly neglect to submit the note for payment for 147 years.

There is no way for the current city to prove that the note was paid.

Even if it wasn't paid they are just as out of luck as if it was the other way around. If the family had a business that had been around for 147 years and the family had owed the original city of Tampa $300, they wouldn't pay 147 years of interest. No, they would claim that the amount of time that passed, the inability to prove the debt was paid, the neglect of the party to submit the bill, the fact that the owed party is no longer in existence, etc, etc, was all reasonable and common-sense grounds to throw it out.

This doesn't even touch on the fact that it was confederate dollars and Florida had joined the confederacy at the time so the laws of the US shouldn't apply. She can appeal to a Confederate court.

I hope Tampa pays them zero and that they are forced to pay court costs

She can then sell the note to a collector.

Maybe they should offer to exchange the note for a piece of swamp "waterfront" property in southern Florida.

Something similar happened on Andy Griffith. A poor citizen was being evicted when it was discovered he had an old bond that was worth millions. They couldn't pay him so instead they fixed up his broken down house. Later they realized the bond was bought with confederate money, thus worthless, but he got to keep the house anyway.

ha! I just noticed a comment from the site.

Article 4 of the 14th amendment to the constitution states:


4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

So since the money was used to aid Tampa during Florida's rebellion against the US, a case could quite easily be made that the debt is void.

This lady's case falls apart on so many different angles it is ridiculous that she is not being sued for a frivolous lawsuit. Her attorney should face some sort of /sanction for filing this as well

I wonder how much the note itself would fetch on Antiques Roadshow!

That's the route I would have gone