IN BRIEF : Court Backs Ali’s Appeal for House

Commonwealth Court today upheld a ruling that helped former heavyweight champion boxer Muhammad Ali save his house in Lower Merion, Pa., from being sold at a tax sale.

The appeals court said the tax sale notice sent to Ali was flawed because it was not established that the person who signed for the notice was authorized by Ali to do so. The decision affirmed a 1987 ruling by Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

Ali’s attorney, Oscar Gaskins of Philadelphia, said the house was sold at a tax sale on Sept. 9, 1985, for $20,000. Gaskins said that Ali had purchased the house some time before for $70,000 and that it was probably worth $120,000. The tax bill was for between $4,000 and $6,000.

Gaskins said the taxes have since been paid and Ali, who lives in California, has given the house to his teen-age daughter, Khalia.