Janice Cottrill, the daughter of a 92-year-old World War II veteran, is evicting her father and has reportedly rejected an offer to buy the home back after online petitioners raised nearly $140,000 online.
The man, John Potter, is facing an eviction notice from a home that he built more than 50 years ago, according to ABC News. The Zaleski, Ohio, native got the eviction notice earlier this year and said they are terminating the “existing lease.”
Jaclyn Fraley, the granddaughter of Potter, raised $139,603 on GoFundMe.com to make an offer on the home he built.
“To me the situation is just so heartbreaking,” Fraley told ABC News. She said that the judge will likely evict Potter.
“We are going to walk away with our heads held high,” Potter said after an attorney told him Cottrill rejected his offer.
“He says he’s fought a lot of battles. He’s won some, he’s lost some — but this is one he never thought he’d lose,” Fraley told the Daily News.
Fraley said that it is unsettling that Potter, who has lived in the home for decades, will have to leave but noted there are other opportunities.
“My biggest fear is the toll (the eviction) is going to take on him,” she told the News. “He’s 92, and I think about his health. Getting evicted is stressful enough when you’re healthy.”
Cottrill filed an eviction notice against Potter in January. The relationship between Potter and Cottrill apparently soured after she took custody over her other brother, Joe, who is autistic.
Despite not being able to buy the home back, Fraley will be able to find a new house or remodel his caretaker’s home to live there.
“Some people who donated were adamant that they didn’t want (Cottrill) to get the money anyway. They said, ‘Don’t give them this money. Go buy grandpa another house!’” Fraley told the paper.
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