A 91-year-old Black woman in Philadelphia faces eviction in rare tax lien case

Her family says a missed tax application during the pandemic led to the sale of her home.

At 91 years old, Gloria Gaynor spends her days in a hospital bed inside the home she’s lived in for years. Now, her family says she may soon be forced out of it.

The Delaware County woman— just outside Philadelphia—is facing eviction after her home was sold through a tax lien sale, a process her family says was triggered by an unpaid property tax bill during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The buyers have notified the family that they intend to take possession of the property, potentially with assistance from the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, according to ABC 6.

“She’s in a hospital bed,” said Gaynor’s daughter, Jackie Davis. “Are they going to lift the bed up with her in it and take her and put her on the steps?”

Davis says her mother is running out of time in her Wayne Avenue home in Upper Darby, and she does not yet have a safe alternative in place. Davis, who lives in Florida, said she is urgently trying to find housing that can accommodate both her family and her disabled mother. “I don’t have a proper place for her as yet,” she said. “So, I’m asking for time.”

According to the family and their attorneys, the situation began in 2020. During the pandemic, Gaynor was afraid to leave her home and did not pay her property taxes. Her attorneys say she had the financial means to do so and made a payment in 2021 when conditions began to return to normal. That payment, however, was not applied to the outstanding taxes in arrears.

Unaware that the balance remained, the family says the tax lien was later sent to auction.

The lien was legally purchased by CJD Group for $3,500 plus fees. Gaynor’s attorneys challenged the sale, calling the circumstances rare given her age and what they described as slight dementia. Despite those arguments, courts repeatedly ruled in favor of the buyer.

“This is a diamond-in-the-rough case,” said Alexander Barth, an attorney representing the family. “This is not every tax sale situation.” Barth emphasized that most tax sales involve abandoned or severely distressed properties, not occupied homes with substantial equity. “This is stripping generational wealth from a family,” he said, noting that the house was Gaynor’s sole asset and carried little debt.

Now, Barth says, the legal process has reached its final stage. “This is essentially kind of the end game of the situation, unfortunately,” he said.

Critics of the family’s position argue that Davis has had months to prepare for this outcome, whether by arranging local assisted living or relocating her mother to Florida. Davis rejects that framing, saying her mother would not survive in a facility and that she needs more time and money to secure appropriate housing. “I’m praying,” she said. “I hope it doesn’t happen, and I can find a place for her.”

CJD Group and its attorney did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

In a statement, Delaware County officials said that once a property is sold at a tax sale and the deed is transferred, the new owner decides whether to pursue a change in occupancy. The county said the Sheriff’s Office becomes involved only if a court issues a writ of possession—and that no such action is currently on file for Gaynor’s address. Officials added that while the county must follow state law, they recognize the emotional toll these cases can take on residents.

For now, Gaynor remains in the home she hoped to pass down to her children. But with ownership transferred and eviction looming, her family says the question is no longer if the system failed her—but whether compassion will arrive before the locks are changed.