Rick Jackson’s Company Profited Off of Foreclosing on Georgians’ Homes, Dragging One Family to the Georgia Supreme Court in a Case that Ended in Tragedy

Rick Jackson's Company Profited Off of Foreclosing on Georgians' Homes, Dragging One Family to the Georgia Supreme Court in a Case that Ended in Tragedy

A devastating new report from The Daily Beast reveals that Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson's company profited off of foreclosing on Georgians' homes - and in one tragic case sued a Georgia couple that had been wrongfully foreclosed on in a case "so brutal that court filings describe a cascade of devastating health problems for both spouses-and ultimately their deaths."

According to The Daily Beast, the Jackson-owned JIG Real Estate bought the home of a Cherokee County couple in a foreclosure sale that wasn't supposed to take place. The couple had already cured their mortgage default after falling behind in payments because of medical expenses. But in an "email snafu" their house was put up for sale - and bought by Jackson's company. When the couple's lender tried to correct the issue, Jackson's company wouldn't let them. Instead, court records say a Jackson employee immediately tried to evict the couple - threatening them in their home and promising to "kick the hell" out of them. Jackson's company spent the next four years dragging the couple all the way to the Georgia Supreme Court to take away the ownership of their home.

The Supreme Court eventually ruled in favor of the couple - but the case took a devastating toll. According to court documents, the emotional ordeal of Jackson's predatory company and its lawsuits led to multiple health crises.

"Slick Rick padded his wallet by kicking Georgians out of their homes when they had done nothing wrong," said DGA spokesperson Kevin Donohoe. "Slick Rick has profited from Georgia homeowners' pain, even dragging this couple through the courts when they had made their mortgage payments. Slick Rick will do anything - no matter how brutal and cruel - to turn a profit, and Georgia families have tragically paid the price."

The Daily Beast: MAGA Billionaire's Bitter Housing Battle Ends in Tragedy

• MAGA billionaire Rick Jackson is running to be Georgia's next governor, vowing to tackle housing affordability and bring "the same type of business solutions that President Trump is bringing to our country."

• But the Daily Beast can reveal that one of his companies spent more than four years trying to take a Georgia couple's home in a legal battle so brutal that court filings describe a cascade of devastating health problems for both spouses-and ultimately their deaths.

• The saga began in 2007, when Jackson's JIG Real Estate paid $239,500 for the home of Tammi and James Garland in a foreclosure sale that wasn't supposed to take place.

• The Garlands had already reached an agreement with their lender to cure their mortgage default, but a notification failure-or what a judge later described as an "email snafu"-meant the sale went ahead anyway.

• Countrywide Home Loans rescinded the purchase two days later and returned JIG's money with interest. But the company refused to accept it and demanded to keep the house, eventually suing the lender and the Garlands all the way to the Georgia Supreme Court.

• Court filings describe a confrontation so ugly that a company representative allegedly threatened to "kick the hell" out of the couple if they did not leave.

• According to a statement of material facts filed by the Garland's attorneys, Tammi Garland suffered a seizure and collapsed during the confrontation. She died in 2008 from an accidental overdose of prescription medications after experiencing worsening pain, anxiety, and seizures that she attributed to the ordeal.

• Her husband James, who was previously a "very healthy middle aged man" according to the same court filing, was so stressed by the threats that he experienced a "major heart attack."

• Months later, he attempted suicide, spent a month in a coma, and was unable to return to his job as a pharmacist. He died in 2012.

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