In a sad turn of events, Ms Josephine Wright, the lady at the core of the fight between herself and Hilton Head Island developers has passed away at the age of 94.
In a conflict that goes back at least to 2022, Ms. Wright has been in a battle with Bailey Point Investment, LLC over her ancestral land in Hilton Head. Bailey Point Investments wants the property for their development project, and Ms. Wright just wanted to live peacefully in her “sanctuary” with generations of her family. When Wright refused to sell to the developers they brought a lawsuit against her claiming “Wright’s screened-in porch, a shed and a satellite dish were encroaching on the company’s property, causing a nuisance, lowering property values and delaying their development plans.” The lawsuit further claims, “the shed, porch and satellite dish ‘continue to annoy and disturb’ the company, which is entitled to ‘just and adequate compensation for its losses, inconveniences, aggravation, unnecessary expenditures of time and efforts and disruptions.’”
Not one to be intimidated, Wright counter sued refuting Bailey Point claiming “a consistent and constant barrage of tactics of intimidation, harassment, trespass, to include this litigation in an effort to force her to sell her property.” The counter suit further states, “Wright ... has been deprived of the peaceful enjoyment of her property, her property has been damaged and she has been threatened,” the countersuit says.
Many celebrities had donated to Ms. Wright’s cause giving money to help her fight. Tyler Perry was to build Wright a new home for her and her family. In a statement after Ms. Wright’s passing Perry declared his intention to still honor the commitment he made to her to build her a new home. A GoFundMe established on Wright’s behalf stands a over $360,000.
Wright’s fight extends beyond herself too. “Wright’s family fears, like many Gullah families in the past, that their land could be taken from them and their history erased. The land that Wright’s home sits on has been in the family since the Civil War.”
Services for Josephine Weight were held January 13 at Mt. Calvary Church on Hilton Head Island.
