FLORISSANT, MO (KPLR/CNN) - A Missouri woman said she lost her home because she couldn't afford to pay her attorney in a custody case.
The home went up for auction. The winning bidder? That same attorney.
"Now we have no place to live," Ruby Sawyers said.
Sawyers watched her Florissant, MO, home go to auction Thursday. The highest bidder was her former attorney.
"We didn't have a quarter of a million dollars to pay him so he took my house," Sawyers explained.
This dilemma started as a custody battle played out in St. Louis County circuit court.
Sawyers, a part-time server at a chain diner, stepped in to help her grandson get sole custody of his baby boy.
When it was discovered the baby's mother has a condition that makes her a danger to his life, Ruby said they hired attorney David Waltrip for an agreed upon fee.
"He said about $15,000 or $20,000," Sawyers said.
They won the case. Ruby says she paid Waltrip $200 a month until he sent her a much bigger bill.
“He sent me a bill in the mail for almost a quarter of a million dollars," Sawyers recalled.
Waltrip entered this judgment to collect the money, more than $234,000. Sawyers and her grandson consented to that so they could avoid the crushing debt.
Sawyers filed for bankruptcy.
"Everybody thought we were finished. We didn't owe him anything and then all of a sudden, he's taking my house," Sawyers said.
And it's totally legal.
In Missouri, a circuit court judgment acts as a lien on all real estate in the county in which the judgment is entered.
When you file bankruptcy, you get rid of the debt, but you need to file another motion to get rid of the judgment lien. Otherwise, you risk losing your property.
Waltrip said the case was very complex with many hours involved and went on for more than two and a half years.
He went on to say, “I tried to work with them. I made payment arrangements with them and they violated the agreement.”
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