‘God showed up’: Tyler Perry to pay $18K tax lien for 81-year-old homeowner in need
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The filmmaker stepped in after Brenda Daurham’s home repairs sparked a dispute between her insurer and contractor.
Tyler Perry is paying it forward for an 81-year-old former hair stylist in need.
Perry is stepping up for Brenda Daurham, a widow who was displaced from her home thanks to a Valentine’s Day pipe burst and a massive fight between her insurance company and the repair company that helped restore her home.
Daurham, who was facing an $18K mechanic’s lien due to the repairs not being paid for by Allstate, is having the lien paid for by Perry, who took to Instagram and issued a warning to the insurance giant, wondering why they were not living up to their company slogan in this instance.
“Hey AllState!! Step to the front real quick,” Perry began his post. “This woman is 81 years old. You call this being in good hands?”
After sharing Daurham’s interview with FOX 32 in Chicago, Perry concluded the carousel post with a simple message: “Don’t worry Ms. Daurham help is on the way.”
Perry’s generosity brought FOX 32 reporter Tia Ewing to tears.
“I’m thankful for God that Tyler Perry was able to see the story for us to pass this on to Miss … this is a blessing. All I did was tell her story,” Ewing said. “I really believe that if you believe in God and you do the right thing by people and tell these positive stories that can change people’s lives, I believe God will show up. And in this case, God showed up.”
“An 81-year-old shouldn’t have to live like that,” Ewing added.
In the original profile on Daurham, she revealed that her Chicago-area home, where she had lived for more than 40 years, deteriorated after a pipe burst on Valentine’s Day under her kitchen sink, flooding the house. Daurham said she had the highest insurance policy and claims on the property, but the insurance company is contesting the repairs.
Allstate argued that the home had been going through “wear and tear,” “deterioration,” and “seepage,” thus making them unavailable to pay the claim. The restoration company that repaired Daurham’s kitchen and home disputed Allstate’s position, saying the issues were all due to the pipe burst. While that matter remains ongoing, the restoration company filed a $18K mechanic’s lien on her home.
According to Ewing, Perry intends to clear the property’s lien and provide the necessary financial support to restore the residence fully.
Perry’s generosity typically comes with headlines after the fact. During the government shutdown that primarily affected Transportation Security Administration workers, Perry offered to pay thousands of dollars in gift cards to workers at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. In July, he paid for the funeral of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, while tying his story to another missing person’s case in Florida that had remained cold for close to two decades.
Last month, he covered the remaining Harvard tuition for a Tuskegee graduate headed to the Ivy League school.