Missed Payment Triggers Next Chapter In Murphy Home Battle
MURPHY (CBSDFW.COM) – A battle over a home in Murphy ended with a big pile of furniture and possessions on the front lawn Wednesday. The forced eviction appeared to end the homeowner's effort to get the property back from a family that originally moved in to the house in order to help sell it.
"It's a long time waiting for this day," said owner Aji Phillip.
CBS11 first reported on Phillip's situation in June, when she found herself fighting for the home after hiring a company to stage it for sale. The company sub-leases the property to tenants, in order to make the home appear lived in.
The family that moved in to make the home more attractive to buyers drew concern from Phillip when they also moved in a dog and started storing wooden crosses on the property.
The father of the two men on the lease, Nathan Burgess, also moved in. The family then stopped paying rent, and refused to leave, after what Burgess described as undue harassment from Phillip.
After an unusual two-day eviction trial in June, a six-person Collin County jury delivered a verdict to evict the family, and force them to pay more than $5,000 in rent, fees and court costs. Burgess however, still didn't leave and vowed to appeal.
According to Jeff Spriggs, an attorney for Castle Keepers, the company that subleased the property, this week the Burgess family missed a court-ordered deadline to pay $950 while the appeal is in progress.
Collin County constables and Murphy police came to the property Wednesday afternoon to start moving Burgess out.
"Right now, the judge is doing an illegal thing," Burgess said outside the home Wednesday. He roamed the property, occasionally recording the action on video as movers emptied a garage filled with shelving and display cases.
After the last item was out, Phillip got a new set of keys and immediately went to see the house for the first time in months.
"I think if I wasn't here, probably could have been even worse," she said.
Phillip said she hopes to be able to put the house back on the market. Burgess still has until Thursday evening though to remove his possessions from the property. He also said he will continue to appeal the eviction judgment and costs.
"This is a complete illegal move these guys are doing right here," he said.
