-
Direct damages for the destruction of his roof.
-
Damages tied to the scheme to illegally lien and forced-sell his property.
-
The right to inherit compensation claims tied to the original development trust.
If the court determined those homes had been paid for with stolen money, that portion of value could be frozen and sold to satisfy the judgment, and Vaughn could use the judgment itself to participate in the auction through a credit bid, meaning he would not need to pay the full amount in cash, but could instead apply the debt owed to him directly against the purchase price.
Tessa warned this would be a difficult fight, predicting Marlene would deny personal responsibility, blame the management company, claim the payments were legitimate reimbursements, attempt to transfer the homes to third parties, and possibly file for bankruptcy to buy time.
Just as predicted:
-
Marlene signed a deed moving her home into a newly created trust.
-
Pamela transferred partial ownership to a company registered in Nevada.
-
Judith arranged to sell her house to an acquaintance for a token price of $10.
However, the court's freeze order had already been recorded before any of these transfers, rendering every attempted move legally void.
At a packed resident meeting held in the very clubhouse the stolen money had helped renovate, Vaughn laid out the full body of evidence in front of the entire neighborhood, projecting bank statements and forged signatures onto a screen while residents sat in stunned silence, some covering their mouths as figures they recognized as their own dues appeared beside mortgage account numbers that were not theirs.
Marlene stood up and accused him of trying to steal five women's homes over nothing more than a damaged roof, her voice rising to fill the room, gesturing toward him as though he were the one who had betrayed the neighborhood rather than the reverse.