The 84-year-old woman never attempted to purchase the property by the court’s deadline because she thought she already owned it. Now, it is too late to try.
The family has spent decades fighting over the property.
“Our position is that [the siblings] were under a ‘mistake of fact’ when they signed the deed,” said Yashiba Glenn Blanchard, attorney for Dorothy Burgess, another great-grandchild of Ben W. “He was like, ‘Sign over to me and I’ll hand you a deed to your potion after. That was the vessel used to get their trust. But he was tricking them and hoping to get a profit. He was hoping they would forget about [the deed] or die off and at that time he could dispose of the land how he wanted to.”
At the completion of a court-ordered appraisal, the Cleveland Brothers can purchase the Woodson land, KKTV 11 News reported.
“We were, I guess, naïve or not up to par on the law based on that timeframe, but it’s happening right before our eyes,” said Corine’s daughter, Melissa Woodson. “The sad thing is there is very little we can do about it.”
The court said it is too late for Corine Woodson to try to purchase the Alabama property. Bill Cleveland of Cleveland Brothers Inc. has agreed to allow her to stay in her Hamilton Road home for a year after the purchase is completed.
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Source: Black Enterprise
