Linda Willis, 69, has been fighting for years to rebuild her home after she says thieves took her deed and bulldozed her home.
She spoke with Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln on Tuesday in an empty Old Fourth Ward lot where her home once stood.
“As you see, I did get my dirt back but I haven’t been able to rebuild,” she told Lincoln.
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Sine 2021, Channel 2 Action News has reported on Willis’ fight to get her property back after she says thieves illegally took her deed, sold the home and then demolished it. She won a court case representing herself. A judge ruled the property should be returned to her, but now she’s left to figure out how to rebuild.
“If I can afford to rebuild, I would. But the taxes, have you seen the taxes over here,” she said.
After several Channel 2 Action News investigations, lawmakers began drafting laws to protect homeowners.
The legislation, House Bill 1292, was signed by Gov. Brian Kemp to create new, better safeguards for homeowners and property owners to keep criminals from impersonating them and stealing their property or taking out a second mortgage on it.