Tyler Perry building house for 93-year-old South Carolina woman fighting developers
Tyler Perry building home for 93-year-old woman
Tyler Perry has agreed to step in and build a house for a 93-year-old woman who's in a land fight with developers. Perry promised to help Josephine Wright hold on to her Hilton Head, South Carolina property despite Bailey Point Investment Group's attempts to get her to sell or seize it through the court system.
HILTON HEAD, S.C. - Georgia media mogul Tyler Perry is helping a 93-year-old South Carolina woman battling developers to keep her home and land by buying her a new home.
Josephine Wright made national news for her fight against a development group that has been trying to force her to sell her land in Hilton Head to be part of a 147-unit neighborhood.
The great-great-grandmother was named in what she calls a "frivolous lawsuit" over what they say are parts of her home that are on their property.
The woman claims that after she refused, she had her tires slashed and trash thrown on the property.
"I've been a fighter all my life," she told WSAV, pointing to her family's history of escaping slavery before being freed by Union soldiers.
Her story got the attention of Perry in June, who said he was inspired by her description of her "fighter" nature.
"Ms. Wright, please tell [me] where to show up and what you need to help you fight," Perry wrote on Instagram.
In September, Wright's granddaughter Charise Graves wrote on the family's GoFundMe for legal expenses that a tree had fallen on the home, leaving holes in its roof.
Now TMZ is reporting that Perry will help build Wright a new home on the land and that construction will begin once all the permit details are completed.
"Tyler Perry's friendship has made a significant difference in Grandma's life, and we are truly thankful for his kindness and generosity," Graves wrote in an update.
While the fight over the land continues, Graves says her grandmother is still standing her ground and just celebrated the baby shower of her 17th great-great-grandchild.
Tyler Perry on Monday, January 13, 2020 -- (Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
This is not the first time Perry has stepped up to help. Earlier this year, he donated $750,000 to the city of Atlanta to prevent legacy residents from being displaced by rising property values.