A 93-year-old woman in South Carolina has been in a legal battle with developers over a home that has been in her family since the Civil War. Now, Hollywood heavyweight Tyler Perry has stepped in to help.
Bailey Point Investment Group sued Hilton Head Island resident Josephine Wright over her home in February. The company claimed that her property encroached on their land, caused a nuisance, and impeded their development plans.
Bailey Point Investment owns land on each side of Wright’s 1.8-acre property after acquiring it in 2014. According to USA Today, “the company is developing a 147-home subdivision in the area and tried to buy Wright’s property a few years back, offering just $39,000.”
Wright countersued the company and hired a civil rights attorney. Local press coverage of the ongoing issue caught Perry’s attention in June. The famed actor has committed to building Josephine Wright a new five-bedroom home to replace her current one. This act of kindness comes after Wright had lived in her Hilton Head home for 30 years and faced various difficulties as the development project unfolded around her property.
Josephine Wright’s granddaughter, Charise Graves, had started a GoFundMe campaign to help her grandmother in her legal battle. Several other celebrities, including Fantasia, Meek Mill, Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks, and Snoop Dogg, contributed to the fundraising effort, and Kyrie Irving even made a second donation after a tree fell on Wright’s house and damaged her roof in September.
Tyler Perry’s involvement and the contributions from these celebrities have made a major impact on Wright’s life. Graves took to social media to express her thanks to Perry.
“Tyler Perry’s friendship has made a significant difference in Grandma’s life, and we are truly thankful for his kindness and generosity,” she wrote, adding that Irving made a second donation to her grandmother’s cause following the roof damage.
Construction for the new house is expected to begin in the coming weeks, possibly in time for Ms. Wright’s 94th birthday.