Movie mogul Tyler Perry is going to build a brand-new home for a 93-year-old great-great-grandmother after she fought developers to keep the land the family has owned since the Civil War.
Josephine Wright of Hilton Head, South Carolina, told news outlet WSAV-TV that land development company Bailey Point Investment had been authorized to begin work on the 29 acres in proximity to her modest house. When Wright rebuffed their offers to buy the property, she claims Bailey Point resorted to harassing and threatening her and then took her to court.
Wright told the outlet that Bailey Point filed a “frivolous lawsuit” built on lies. Wright said the company claimed her porch jutted out onto the property they had just purchased, despite the fact that her porch is 22-feet from the road and the property Bailey Point purchased is across the street.
The home holds more than just sentimental value to the grandmother to 40, great-grandmother to 50, and great-great-grandmother to 16. Wright said her home is a monument and testament to history because her husband’s relatives escaped slavery and were freed by Union soldiers.
The grandchildren have started a GoFundMe account, which has raised more than $330K, and neighbors have joined in the fight still being waged.
While the legal battle has not yet been adjudicated in a court of law, Perry eventually learned in May 2023 that the Goliath company is fighting the metaphorical David and decided to provide Wright with some rocks to throw.
Movie producer Will Packer, celebrity chef Kardea Brown and singer Fantasia Taylor have also pledged support for Wright to keep her land.
Meanwhile, Perry is reportedly ready to have his construction crew begin building her five-bedroom home once the permit process has been taken care of, TMZ reports.
