At first glance, a Jackson County couple’s challenge of an annual appraisal that hiked their property taxes by $534 was just like any one of thousands of other tax appeals.

Instead, it became “a one-in-a million case” that ended June 25 when Jackson County not only reimbursed Mike and Elizabeth Evans for the excess tax with interest, but also paid $83,900 in legal fees accumulated during a six-year battle with the Jackson County Board of Tax Assessors, said the Evans’ trial lawyer, James Joedecke Jr.