05/27/2010 // West Palm Beach, FL, USA // Tara Monks // Tara Monks
Smithfield, RI – An 82-year-old woman from Smithfield filed a $3.7 million lawsuit against the town, alleging that officials condemned her home without due process so a Planning Board member could purchase it for less than it was worth.
The lawsuit was filed in Providence county Superior Court. Evelyn Camara names Smithfield, Town Manager Dennis Finlay, Building and Zoning Inspector Peter Scorpio and Planning Board Member Bruce Beaumier as defendants. She claims they used their positions for personal gain and violated her due process rights. She claims she was forced to sell her vacant home under duress.
In addition to monetary damages, the suit seeks to have her house returned.
The lawsuit states that Camara was informed in a letter from Scorpio that her house was beyond repair and needed to be razed and replaced. Camara had been living in subsidized housing when she received the letter. It claims that Beaumier and Scorpio would not allow her or potential buyers of the house inside the property, claiming it needed to be demolished.
Beaumier offered Camara $50,000 for the house. Camara accepted the offer because she was under duress and did not know her options. Beaumer proceeded to fix up the house and plans to put it back on the market at a value of $160,000 to $200,000.
The suit claims the property were assessed at $164,000.
The defendants claim no wrongdoing.
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