HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (WSAV) – Media mogul Tyler Perry has agreed to build a new home for a 93-year-old South Carolina woman who refuses to sell her family’s land to developers.
Josephine Wright has faced a lengthy battle with the Bailey Point Investment Group, a Georgia-based firm that wants to construct a 147-unit neighborhood behind her home on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.
She claims the company is trying to force her to sell her land by using harassment tactics and a “frivolous lawsuit.” Wright said the 1.8-acre parcel of land she owns has been in her family since just after the Civil War. Because of its rich history, Wright doesn’t want to give it up.
She previously said that Bailey Point offered to buy her piece of land after the company got approval from the town to develop 29 acres behind her home. After she declined their offer, Wright said the developers started harassing her and eventually filed a lawsuit.
The company alleged in the suit that a corner of her screened-in porch, a shed and a satellite dish encroach on the construction project, the Associate Press reported in August.
Some celebrities have supported Wright throughout this ordeal, including Tyler Perry, who has stepped up to build her a five-bedroom house.
Nexstar’s WSAV spoke to her family on Tuesday, and they verified that they have been talking to Perry for a while now about the new house — which will be built on Wright’s land and ultimately replace the current home she and her grandkids live in.
Perry came to Wright’s defense back in June when he found out about her legal battle with the Bailey Point Investment Group. The actor-director posted a WSAV story on his Instagram with the following caption: “‘I’ve pretty much been a fighter all my life,’ said 93-year-old Josephine Wright. Well, that makes two of us. Ms. Wright, please tell [me] where to show up and what you need to help you fight.”
His construction crew is expected to begin breaking ground on the home in the forthcoming weeks once all the permits are rectified.
This does not change anything with the lawsuit and property dispute as of now.