State Rep. Victoria Neave sued over $26,000 in unpaid property taxes

State Rep. Victoria Neave, D-Dallas, has been sued for owing more than $26,000 in unpaid property taxes, according to court documents.

The lawsuit states that Neave and Mark Scott Jr., her former fiancé with whom she practiced law, owe $26,760 in taxes for a Dallas home the two own together. A number of taxing entities in Dallas County, including Parkland Hospital District, Dallas County Community College District and the city of Dallas, filed the lawsuit. The suit, first reported by Texas Monitor, also notes that Neave and Scott may owe additional taxes to the Richardson Independent School District.

Neave said Thursday afternoon that she had been notified of the lawsuit, which was filed earlier this week.

“Despite my best efforts to make payments, I take responsibility for falling behind,” Neave said in a written statement. “I admit that it has been a financial struggle to maintain full tax payments on the property. I moved out of the property in 2015. I am expediting the process to put the house back on the market and am working on settling the past due balance as soon as possible."

Neave, a Democrat, was elected in 2016 and represents parts of Dallas, Mesquite and Garland. Since her arrival in the lower chamber, Neave has ascended through her party’s ranks, spearheading legislation in 2017 that crowdfunded money for rape kit testing. This year, Neave has filed a measure that’s earned bipartisan support to tackle the state’s backlog of thousands of untested rape kits.

This isn’t the first time that Neave has faced legal trouble as a state lawmaker. In 2017, Neave was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Court documents said her blood-alcohol level was almost twice the legal limit. The lawmaker later said she had pleaded no contest to the charge, would pay a fine and be put on probation for 12 months.

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