Squatters sue Georgia property owner who previously allowed temporary free stays
Atlanta property owner David Morris and his attorney David Perrie explain how squatters took over his 9-acre plot during the pandemic and his fight to reclaim his land.
An Atlanta property owner explained how his good deed turned into a nightmare after squatters took advantage of his kindness and trashed his property.
"It just got out of hand," David Morris told "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday.
The saga began about ten years ago, when Morris let four people live on the nine-acre Georgia property for free temporarily on the condition that they helped maintain the land. The property was previously the site of a nonprofit Morris ran to help distribute food to those in need in the community.
Morris, who now lives in California, closed the nonprofit during the pandemic when he noticed more people had moved onto the land.
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Squatters trashed Atlanta property owner David Morris's land during the pandemic (Screenshot/FNC)
People with addictions and mental health issues had taken over the land and brought with them RVs, tents and trash, Morris said. He had to hire cleaning crews and pay $10,000 to clean up his property.
The property owner filed an eviction but was unable to remove the squatters because the city of Atlanta placed a moratorium on evictions at the time. One squatter even tried to sue Morris for nearly $200,000, but his case was dropped after he didn't show up in court.
Morris told Fox 5 Atlanta that he received a writ of possession last week, so he can finally evict the squatters. He wants them gone so he can build affordable housing on the land.
David Perrie, Morris's attorney, explained how squatters have caused a headache for Atlanta property owners, but lawmakers are trying to address the crisis with new legislation.
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A new bill in Georgia would make squatting and falsifying leasing documents a crime. (Leka Devatha )
A new bill, HB1017, would impose clear criminal penalties on squatters and those who falsify leases. Republican co-sponsor Rep. Devan Seabaugh, told Fox News Digital the bill will protect homeowners and speed up the process for evicting squatters.
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"What we've done is create new code in the Georgia law that, in a nutshell, says, if you're squatting in a home, and you do not have the consent or legal authority to be in it, you'll be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor of a highly aggravated nature. You'll be fined, and you may spend up to a year behind bars," he said.
Fox News' Teny Sahakian and Taylor Penley contributed to this report.