A 74-year-old woman is fighting to keep her home after a shocking betrayal by her eldest son. Ruth Silva filed a complaint in the Harris County District Court on June 21, 2024, against Gabriel Silva, Zelma Williams, Wendell Hankton, and The Lakoda Tiyospaye LLC.
According to the court documents, Ruth Silva was deceived by her son Gabriel into co-purchasing a home in Spring, Texas, in July 2020. Gabriel assured his mother that this would be her final home where she could live comfortably with her family. However, over three years, Gabriel controlled all aspects of the home's management and concealed financial documents from Ms. Silva. In July 2023, Gabriel abandoned his mother and ceased all communication with her and their family.
The situation worsened in October 2023 when Ms. Silva discovered that Gabriel had forged her signature on a deed transferring full ownership of the home to himself. This fraudulent act was notarized by Zelma Williams. Despite filing a police report for forgery immediately upon discovering the deceit, Gabriel transferred the home's title to The Lakoda Tiyospaye LLC two months later through Wendell Hankton acting as an agent for Lakoda. By February 2024, Lakoda initiated eviction proceedings against Ms. Silva.
Ms. Silva's legal action seeks immediate relief to halt the eviction process scheduled for June 24, 2024. She aims to permanently enjoin Gabriel and Lakoda from claiming any ownership interest in the property based on the forged deed and seeks a declaration that all conveyances arising from her forged signature are void ab initio. Additionally, she demands monetary compensation for damages incurred due to the defendants' actions.
Representing Ruth Silva are attorneys Gregory A. Holloway and Joseph D. Walker from Cokinos | Young law firm. The case is presided over by Judge Goodwin under Case ID: 2024-39313.