Evicted elderly woman allowed back into home

MIAMI (WSVN) -- An elderly woman who was evicted from her home will now be able to stay.

Mercedes Robinson Duvallon, 82, was kicked out of her Northwest Miami-Dade home on Tuesday. According to Duvallon, who is wheelchair-bound, Miami-Dade Police changed the locks of her home and slapped a yellow eviction notice on her front door.

After refinancing her home several times over the years, Duvallon fell about $80,000 behind on her mortgage payments.

However, hours before her belongings were to be moved into the yard of her home for the past 45 years, Duvallon received some much-needed help that allowed her to move back into her home. "She got position back into her house. They let her back in, and now, we're trying to talk to the banks," said Luis Valdeon, who helps those facing foreclosure.

7News first met Duvallon one year ago, when she said her mortgage payments had ballooned from $740 a month to $2,800 per month. According to Duvallon, a bank tricked her into refinancing the mortgage on her home.

Valdeon stepped in to assist the elderly woman; he filed motions and worked with the banks to bring down Duvallon's mortgage. However, by Tuesday, it appeared that the fight was over.

Duvallon received several offers for hotel stays for the night, but she turned down each one, and opted to spend the night outside her home. "Who's going to take care of my house?" Duvallon asked on Tuesday night. "Anybody can break down the door and steal whatever they want."

Wednesday morning, Duvallon remained outside her Northwest Miami-Dade residence. "I have faith, I have faith in God, I have faith in Jesus Christ, and I'm praying, and I know they're with me, and I know I'm going to win," said Duvallon. "I'm fighting the bank. I'm fighting them," Duvallon said, "and I'm not going to give up until I win my house. They're going to give me my house back."

Shortly thereafter, the bank gave Duvallon the keys to her residence, and the 82-year-old was allowed back into her home. According to Valdeon, some last-minute phone calls convinced the bank to take another look at Duvallon's situation. For now, Duvallon can stay at her home. "I looked at the keys, and I couldn't quite believe that they were the keys to my house," said Duvallon, "but they were."

"We finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel," said Duvallon's son, Steve Brenner. "It made my mother very happy."

Valdeon said he and Duvallon will meet with the bank within the next week, and they may reach a cash settlement agreement, which Valdeon would help Duvallon pay, or the bank may write off the debt altogether. Valdeon said, "It's just a little negotiation, how much the bank wants for the property. I don't know if they're willing to write it off."

Duvallon said she has at least two more weeks to sort out the issue with the bank, but she is grateful to be back in her home. "7News is the station for getting things known and getting people to understand what's going on, and I'm very appreciative, I'm very thankful," she said.

After Duvallon's story aired on 7News, many of her neighbors stepped up and offered to help raise money so Duvallon can permanently stay in her house.

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