In June, several media outlets reported on the story of John Potter, a 92-year-old Ohio World War II veteran who was facing eviction from his home. While evictions are not necessarily newsworthy events, what made the story stand out was the fact that Potter was being evicted by his own daughter.
The story behind the eviction began in 2004 when Potter, and his then living wife, began experiencing health setbacks. As many people their age do, the Potters decided to transfer financial powers of attorney to their daughter, Janice Cottrill. After receiving the ability to make financial decisions on her parent’s behalf, Cottrill used her authority to transfer the title of the home Mr. Potter had built himself into her name. Though Mr. Potter later discovered the transfer and tried to overturn it in court, an Ohio appeals court ruled against him when it determined that the statute of limitations had expired.
Then, after the story started gathering media attention, Potter and his granddaughter, Jaclyn Fraley, launched a fund raising campaign over the Internet. Potter hoped to raise the $50,000 he would need to purchase the home from his daughter, but actually ended up raising over $125,000.
But even though Mr. Potter successfully raised the money, his daughter refused his offer to purchase the home. Instead, the two will meet in an Ohio court and ask the court to rule on the eviction proceeding, though no court date has yet been set.
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