Disabled veteran faces foreclosure crisis despite tax exemption in Chicago Heights

CHICAGO - A disabled U.S. Army veteran who says he followed the rules is now on the brink of losing his home, caught in a confusing web of property tax errors, mortgage complications, and delayed refunds.

Letouer Turner, 45, served in the U.S. Army from 2005 to 2008, including a 15-month deployment in Iraq as a gunner. He is now rated 100% service-connected disabled by the Department of Veterans Affairs, meaning he is unable to work.

"I spent 15 months in Iraq… putting my life on the line," Turner said. "To come back and lose your home over taxes you’re not even supposed to pay, it just doesn’t make sense."

Home for his children at risk:

Turner purchased his five-bedroom home in 2015, drawn by the neighborhood and proximity to schools for his children.

"My kids really picked the house out, not me," he said. "It was a place they could call home."

That home is now in foreclosure.

Court records show Turner agreed to a mortgage modification in May 2023, believing it would resolve issues tied to his escrow account. Instead, his monthly payment jumped from roughly $790 to more than $1,300.

"I was told the only way to fix it was a modification," Turner said. "But every time they ‘fixed’ it, the payment kept going up."

Today, he owes more than $243,000, with the balance continuing to climb.

Tax issue at the center :

At the heart of the crisis: property taxes that, according to county officials, Turner should not have owed.

The Cook County Assessor’s Office confirms Turner has qualified for the Disabled Veterans Exemption since at least 2017—an exemption that typically reduces a veteran’s property tax bill to zero.

But for years, taxes were still added to his mortgage.

Turner insists he was never properly guided through the process.

"When I first bought the house, I didn’t know I had to reapply every year," he said. "Nobody explained that."

Before 2023, homeowners were required to reapply annually for the exemption. If they failed to do so, they had to correct the issue retroactively through a "Certificate of Error"—a process that can take years.

According to the Assessor’s Office:

• Turner received corrected exemptions for 2017–2019 through Certificates of Error.
• His taxes were automatically reduced to $0 during 2020–2021 due to COVID-era policies.
• Additional corrections for 2022–2023 were approved in October 2025 and sent for refunds.
• His 2024 tax bill reflects the exemption and is $0.

"The Assessor's Office has always worked as quickly as possible to make sure Mr. Turner has all of the exemptions he is entitled to receive," a spokesperson said, adding that refunds are handled separately."

Refunds still pending:

The Cook County Treasurer’s Office says Turner may still be owed money.

"There appear to be refunds due. We are reviewing this case and will let you know when we have our findings," the office said in a statement.

But for Turner, the delays have already taken a toll.

"They’re telling me I owe money while at the same time saying I shouldn’t have been taxed," he said. "How does that work?"

Mortgage company probed:

Turner places much of the blame on his mortgage servicer, now Servbank, alleging mismanagement of his escrow account and poor communication.

"They had my exemption paperwork," he said. "One person even told me their system was down and they had to enter things manually, but I’d been dealing with this for over a year."

In a statement, a Servbank customer experience representative said:

"I have taken the time to review the loan of Letouer Turner… I am now personally handling the complaint and currently having this issue investigated. Please rest assured that I am dedicated to resolving this matter."

Still, Turner says he has been repeatedly bounced between representatives, given conflicting information, and pushed toward costly solutions.

"Every time you get close to fixing the problem, the person disappears," he said. "New number, new extension, same issue."

A system he doesn't understand:

Now navigating foreclosure proceedings at the Richard J. Daley Center, Turner says he feels lost in a system that has failed to protect him.

"I’ve gone everywhere the judge told me to go," he said. "I leave messages, I show up in person and still nothing."

He says the financial strain has damaged his credit and prevented him from maintaining the home.

"At some point, you stop fixing things," Turner said. "Because if they take it, what’s the point?"

What's next:

Turner is due back in court on June 17, 2026. Without a resolution—either through corrected accounting or refunded taxes—he risks losing the home his children grew up in.

"I don’t know where we’ll go," he said quietly. "Maybe stay with family until I figure it out."

For Turner, the fight is about more than just his home.

"I know I’m not the only veteran going through this," he said. "I just want people to know and to get help before it’s too late."

The County Clerk’s Office records also indicate that this is the third foreclosure lawsuit filed for the property since 2015.

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