A ruling years in the making affirms property rights in a case previously reported by The Dallas Express.
A federal judge has ordered the City of McKinney to pay nearly $60,000 in damages to a woman whose home was destroyed during a 2020 SWAT standoff—despite her having no connection to the fugitive inside.
Vicki Baker, a cancer patient and retired grandmother, was preparing to relocate to Montana when police descended on her property. The SWAT team was pursuing her former handyman, who had barricaded himself inside her McKinney home.
“I told them, ‘Please don’t destroy my house,’” Baker recalled to NBC 5. They did anyway.
What followed was a five-year legal battle in which the city refused to pay for the $60,000-plus in property damage, forcing Baker to dip into her retirement savings just to make the home livable again.
With the help of the Institute for Justice, Baker took the city to court, arguing that government agents who destroy private property—regardless of motive—should be held financially accountable.
“We’re trying to establish that even if the government is acting for a legitimate reason, they must compensate property owners for what they destroy,” said attorney Jeffrey Redfern.
The city previously offered a partial settlement, but Baker refused, pushing for full compensation and a broader legal precedent. Last week, a federal judge agreed and ordered McKinney to pay $59,656.69.
City officials told NBC 5 they are “evaluating options for appealing the ruling.”
Baker, now retired and living on Social Security, says she fought not just for herself but for others who might one day find themselves in her position.
“It was disastrous for me, but what if it were a single mom with no savings? Someone has to stand up,” she said.
The ruling could signal a growing trend of courts reining in unchecked government immunity when innocent citizens bear the cost of public safety operations.