A 91-year-old grandmother in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, is facing the loss of the home she has lived in for nearly 25 years after a property tax issue spiraled into a court-approved sale, a case her family and attorneys say highlights how vulnerable homeowners can fall through bureaucratic cracks.
Gloria Gaynor, who is bedridden and requires full-time care, may soon be evicted after her house was sold in a county tax sale over a tax bill originally totaling about $3,500. Her family says Gaynor believed the debt had been resolved, only to later learn the home had been transferred to new owners without her knowledge.
“She’s in a hospital bed,” her daughter, Jackie Davis, told 6abc Philadelphia in an interview that aired Nov. 17. “Are they going to lift the bed up with her in it and take her and put her on the steps?”
Davis, who lives in Florida, says she was blindsided when the family received notice that Gaynor could be forcibly removed from the property by the new owners with assistance from authorities.
According to Gaynor’s attorneys, the situation began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Afraid to leave her home, Gaynor did not pay her property taxes that year, despite having the financial means to do so.
She later made a payment in 2021, but the funds were not applied to the outstanding balance from the prior year, her legal team told 6abc.
As a result, the original $3,500 tax debt ballooned to $14,419 due to penalties, interest and fees. A lien was placed on the property, and in September 2022, the home was sold in what is known as an “upset sale” — a tax sale designed to recover unpaid taxes — to real estate firm CJD Group for the amount owed.
Davis says her mother was unaware the home had been sold until much later.
“She bought this house to die in,” Davis said.
The family challenged the sale in court, arguing that Gaynor’s age and apparent cognitive decline should have been taken into account. But the courts repeatedly ruled in favor of the new owners.
“This is not every tax sale situation,” said Alexander Barth, the family’s attorney. “Most tax sale situations are houses that are damaged or underwater. This is the exception. This is stripping generational wealth from a family. This was the sole asset the mother had to pass on to her children.”
The property was valued at approximately $247,000 earlier this year.
Public records cited by 6abc Philadelphia show that CJD Group has acquired at least 62 properties through Delaware County tax sales since 2011, making it one of the most frequent buyers of tax-defaulted homes in the county. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
In a statement provided to 6abc, Delaware County Communications and Public Affairs Director Mike Connolly said decisions about occupancy rest with the new property owner once a sale is finalized.
“Once a property is sold at tax sale and the deed is transferred, the new owner is the party who determines whether to pursue a change in occupancy,” the statement read, noting that the sheriff’s office becomes involved only if a court issues a writ of possession. No such action is currently on file for Gaynor’s address.
Housing advocates say the case underscores the importance of closely monitoring property tax records, particularly for elderly or medically vulnerable homeowners.
Experts recommend regularly checking tax payment status, responding immediately to any delinquency notices, and assigning a trusted family member or professional to help manage finances when health issues arise.
For Gaynor and her family, those lessons come too late, as they now face the possibility that a modest tax oversight could cost a 91-year-old woman her home.
