John Potter, an Ohio veteran who fought in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands during World War II, has been fighting a new battle to regain the title to the home he had built with his own hands. The Ohio man recently fought a legal and Internet campaign against his daughter, the woman who had retitled the home’s deed to her name after she received general power of attorney from her father.
The saga started in 2004 when Mr. Potter and his wife, who has subsequently passed away, gave their daughter general power of attorney to manage their personal and financial affairs. The power included the authority to make financial transactions on their behalf, as well as the ability to care for Mr. Potter’s adult son who suffered from autistic spectrum disorder.
Unbeknownst to Mr. Potter, his daughter, Janice Cottrill, used her position to retitle Mr. Potter’s home into her name. As someone with general power of attorney, she had the legal authority to do this.
After Mr. Potter discovered the transfer in 2010 he fired his daughter and appointed his granddaughter, Jaclyn Fraley, as his new agent. He also took his daughter to court. Though he won his case in front of the trial court, an appeals court later overturned that decision after determining that the relevant statute of limitations had expired.
But with the help of his granddaughter, Mr. Potter raised over $125,000 through a crowd funding Internet campaign. This money will allow him to buy his home back.
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