CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A lawyer who is running for Chesapeake City Council is facing a nearly $900,000 lawsuit ahead of the election.
The great aunt of Amanda Newins is alleging elder abuse. She says Newins abused her right as power of attorney.
Shirley Davis is asking for more than $891,000 in compensatory and punitive damages, and for a judge to restore the title back to her Virginia Beach home.
Davis claims in the lawsuit that she and Newins' great uncle lived at the Kempsville Road home for decades until they moved to Newins’ Chesapeake home in September 2020.
The couple received help from the family, as Newins’ uncle suffered from late-stage Alzheimer’s disease and advanced dementia.
The lawsuit claims Newins demanded the couple pay one thousand dollars in rent each month and isolated them by withholding the great uncle’s cell phone and her great aunt’s hearing aid and glasses.
It also claims the couple appointed Newins as power of attorney, and Newins added herself as a joint account holder to several bank accounts owned by the couple.
Davis alleges Newins then sold two of great her uncle’s cars, bought herself a BMW and spent over $50,000 of the couple’s money to renovate their Kempsville Road home (to produce rental income). According to the lawsuit, Newins also charged more than $30,000 to their debit and credit cards for other expenses.
The attorney representing Newins says in a statement:
"We are disheartened to learn that a baseless lawsuit has been filed by an estranged family member against Amanda so close in time to an important election. Amanda has the complete support of her family including her siblings, father, grandmother, cousins and her Uncle’s siblings, family, and his lifelong friends. We are certain that the court will find Amanda’s actions were not only appropriate but above reproach. Attempting to drag an opponent through the mud with unfounded accusations is not a new tactic in politics but an unfortunate consequence of today’s American political system."