Sunday 23 October 2005

Report: Texas Overpaid Miers in Land Sale

Texas officials paid Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers' family more than $100,000 for a small piece of land in 2000 _ 10 times the land's worth _ despite the state's objections to the way the price was determined, Knight Ridder Newspapers reported Saturday.

The three-member committee that determined the price included Peggy Lundy, a friend of Miers, and property-rights activist Cathie Adams, Knight Ridder reported. They were appointed to the panel by state District Judge David Evans, who had received at least $5,000 in campaign contributions from Miers' law firm....

According to Knight Ridder, the land _ which was part of a large Superfund pollution cleanup site _ was valued at less than 30 cents a square foot. But the panel recommended paying nearly $5 a square foot for it.

The price was later reduced from $106,915 to $80,915, but Miers has yet to return the $26,000 difference to the state

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