Bed-Stuy senior in fight over home risks eviction

An elderly woman who has spent years fighting to keep her Bedford-Stuyvesant home says she is now at risk of being evicted. Mary Lee Ward says in October, police officers broke her door and shined lights

News 12 Staff

Jan 26, 2012, 11:51 PM

Updated 4,704 days ago

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An elderly woman who has spent years fighting to keep her Bedford-Stuyvesant home says she is now at risk of being evicted.
Mary Lee Ward says in October, police officers broke her door and shined lights through her bedroom window before posting an eviction notice. As a result, Ward says she suffered a light heart attack.
Ward has been fighting to keep her home for the past four years. The residence was auctioned off in a foreclosure sale from a predatory loan Ward claims she didn't sign.
Ocwen Bank is offering to buy the property from the man who bought Ward's home and give her the title once she signs a reverse mortgage. However, the 82-year-old doesn't want to risk signing it because if she misses any payments, she could lose her house.
The Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Legal Services, which has been helping Ward with the case, explained to her in a letter that since she refused the reverse mortgage, if another warrant is issued for her eviction, it cannot be delayed.