HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - An elderly woman who was going to be kicked out of her house got some temporary help from a good Samaritan.
Ninety-one-year old Yvonne King was being forced out of her Hollywood home, which she owned for over 50 years.
She was in the process of packing up her belongings without having a place to go, but now she has a team of people working with her to sort this mess out.
“Judge Levinson granted our request for an emergency order stay from ejection,” said attorney Ryan Shrouder with Spink & Associates. “Ms. King will not be thrown out today. She doesn’t have to worry about the sheriff showing up and kicking her out or putting her stuff on the curb.”
After 7News showed King’s story last week, Shrouder stepped up to help pro bono.
He said that cases like this actually happen all the time. “This is not uncommon to see elderly people taken advantage of,” he said. “Not 100 percent sure what happened yet, we’ve only been on this since Friday afternoon, but we’re going to get to the bottom of it.”
King fell behind on her taxes last year, and she said a relative offered to pay the taxes if she signed over the home with a quitclaim deed.
“I did not know the man was gonna take my house,” King said.
“He did say he purchased it for $5,000. That was part of his complaint,” Shrouder said. “I would say this property is probably $180,000. I don’t care who you are, it doesn’t make sense.”
Neighbor Carmela Gardner is upset that this happened to King.
“He’s really taking advantage of this elderly lady who didn’t understand the significance of what she was signing,” Gardner said. “There were other methods he could have used to guarantee his return of his money like a promissory note or something.”
King is a big part of her community. About 5,000 people have donated to her GoFundMe page.
Jeremy Mathis got the ball moving to help King on Friday. “I just felt compelled to move. You know, my mom always taught us to do for others, especially when God puts you in a position to help other people out, and I’m in a position to help her,” he said.
“We, now representing her, have an opportunity to file the appeal, go through the appeal process or ask Judge Levinson to consider the situation and kind of relitigate it with the actual benefit of having an attorney on her side,” Shrouder said.
King is now hopeful for her situation. “I thank them very much,” she said. “Yes, I appreciate them. I don’t want to leave my house. God bless you all, every one. God bless you all.”
King’s attorney hopes that he can get a guardian to watch over her affairs. The money raised from the GoFundMe page will be placed into a trust so no one can take the money.
7News spoke to close family members on the other side of the situation. They said there is more to the story, but they do not want to speak on camera.
King can stay in her home until the ordeal is settled.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.