Houston family owed nearly $300K after their home was allegedly stolen, but haven’t received a cent
A businessman settled a deed forgery lawsuit last month
By Luke Jones
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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A businessman settled a deed forgery lawsuit last month, but now the plaintiffs are questioning if he ever plans to pay.
The case stems from control of the Acres Homes house where Vanessa Voldbakken grew up.
“I learned to walk in that house,” Voldbakken said. “I got taken home from the hospital to that house.”
After rejecting Jerry Gurley’s offer to buy the house in 2019, she and her siblings said they discovered the deed had been transferred to a third party against their wishes.
“Gurley forged my name, and I want him to pay for that,” Audrey Brooks said.
The siblings sued Gurley, and in April, they say he agreed to settle. A judge approved the settlement in May.
Court records show Gurley was ordered to pay the family $200,000 plus more than $87,000 in interest, but they say they still haven’t received a penny.
“There was a 30-day deadline for them to pay. Thirty days rolled around and nothing. I didn’t hear anything. I kept reaching out to the other attorney,” the family’s attorney, Jacob Scholl, said.
Gurley’s attorney, Chris Di Ferrante, told Eyewitness News he wouldn’t comment on the settlement or the alleged lack of payment. He did rebuke Scholl for violating what he says was a non-disparagement and confidentiality clause.
The siblings are now calling for Gurley to be prosecuted. Houston police confirm the family filed a report for the alleged deed fraud Thursday, but said they were in the early stages of investigating it.
“It’s time for him to pay for that,” Brooks said.
“If he doesn’t have the money and he’s judgment-proof, then there’s nothing that can be done. But what should be done is this guy needs to be in jail,” Scholl said.
According to court records, the judgment will accrue interest at a rate of 7.5% each year until it’s paid.
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