Homeless Man Who Helped Woman is Now Suing Her

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

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There was a heartwarming story on the news last year about a homeless man helping a woman. She evidently made a Go Fund Me page for him as a thank you, her goal was $10,000. Well, it seems that her 'goal' kept increasing with the donations up to over $400,000.

She bought a camper for the homeless man and put it on her property, and gave him small amounts of money which he seemed to have spent on drugs. Meanwhile, she is said to have spent most of the money to improve her own lifestyle and spending. So now he's suing her, more here.

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Update, 8/30/18, 6:33 p.m. ET: A judge ordered the couple Thursday to turn over the remaining money to their defense lawyer, who was directed to place it in a trust fund, the Cherry Hill Courier-Post reports.
Original story: Last Thanksgiving's viral, heartwarming story of a homeless man's good deed, and the $400,000 of GoFundMe money raised in his honor, has taken an ugly turn that will be displayed for all to see in a Burlington County courtroom on Thursday.


The story gained attention across the globe when Johnny Bobbitt, a homeless veteran, helped Burlington County resident Kate McClure after her car ran out of gas leaving her stranded on I-95 in Philadelphia. Spending his last $20 to buy gas for McClure, she and her boyfriend, Mark D'Amico, set up a GoFundMe to thank Bobbitt and help get him off the streets.

The goal to raise $10,000 was vastly surpassed, with 14,000 donors raising $400,000 in just a few weeks. Nine months later, however, Bobbitt is now at odds with the couple as a legal battle awaits over the dispersal of the funds.

NJ.com reported Bobbitt will face McClure and D'Amico in court Thursday. The couple has been accused of pocketing thousands of dollars from the funds raised, leading to death threats and attacks on the couple. During an appearance on NBC News' Megyn Kelly TODAY earlier this week, the couple denied these allegations and said that Bobbitt had returned to the drug habit that first led to his homelessness. They told Kelly the couple had been shielding the funds in his best interest until he could recover.
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OH Gosh yes...I read that the other day. That's the trouble with these gofundme style fundraisers, anyone can set one up, and there's no legislation, so anyone can use the money inappropriately..
 
Good grief; what a bunch of losers. They probably created the entire story as a scam. (And don't get me started on GoFundMe; the modern way to beg. :rolleyes:)
 
Well, if the couple's true intent was to help the homeless man out by setting up a GoFundMe account, then a separate account should have been set up in his name only and whatever he did with the money was his business. So I guess it speaks for itself what their intentions might have been from the get-go. Geez.:rolleyes:
 
I only donate to GoFundMe pages for people I know. The rest I just don't know if it's a scam or not. Too bad these people ruin it for the ones who greatly need help.
 
Let's not leave out charities & churches that spend most of the money on nice houses and cars for their officers. No difference. I get calls from police organizations asking for money once or twice a year and i simply say "no" because I never give money over the phone
 
CindyLouWho said:
Well, if the couple's true intent was to help the homeless man out by setting up a GoFundMe account, then a separate account should have been set up in his name only and whatever he did with the money was his business. So I guess it speaks for itself what their intentions might have been from the get-go. Geez.:rolleyes:
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Agree. Telling that the couple felt they were entitled to use some of the money for themselves.
 
As I have maintained...ya cannot help those that do not want help. And as per stats, most homeless do not want [help] . What they really want is a hand out, so they can continue their ways, what ever they are. Usually some sort of dependency . They will feign a desire to 'change'/'better themselves' , but that is really nothing more than a con....then back to life as they want it.
 
Until a person wants to change on their own, for themselves not others things like drug abuse will continue. They have to really want it.

But this GoFundMe.

I would've flipped that money into a trust or lawyer with any accounting or legal fees to come from the trust/account itself. But unless the couple put in stipulations or conditions for the money they shouldn't be controlling it. If they did use for themselves that amounts to fraud because the original premise was for the homeless guy, not them.

Sad because people who need a gofundme or could use that kind of charity will have a harder time getting it.
 
This man is a veteran, chances are he self medicates in order to deal with the hell that is PTSD. I don’t feel qualified to judge him. I honour his humanity. He gave his last twenty dollars to help a stranger? How many of us would do the same?
 
Shalimar said:
This man is a veteran, chances are he self medicates in order to deal with the hell that is PTSD. I don’t feel qualified to judge him. I honour his humanity. He gave his last twenty dollars to help a stranger? How many of us would do the same?
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I don't judge him at all. But I do have a problem with the people setting up a GoFundMe account for HIM, then taking part of the money.
 
The man's name "Bobbitt" brings to mind another story about the name.

Something regarding a kitchen knife, a vacant field and a man's *****.

I'm thinking her name was Lorena. Am I right?

(Google Lorena Bobbitt and read the whole story.)
 
terry123 said:
You are right Rose! I donate to GoFundMe if I know the people and know the situation.
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I think the donors thought they were donating to a homeless person and vet, not a drug addict. I think donations would've been less if they knew he had a drug problem. But it was donated to/for him, not those trying to help him.

I can't think of the guy's name but there was a street person/ street corner work for food/begger who had the perfect radio announcer voice and was given a job along with 15 minutes of fame. Thought I read where he was back on the street, in rehab or something. The long standing issues have to be dealt with in someway, money doesn't cure everything.
 
In my view, the couple defrauded the donors, pure and simple. The donors gave money to help the homeless man. Whether or not the couple approves of the homeless man's lifestyle vis-a-vis drugs or whatever else, they've no right to withhold money from him that donors donated to HIM. People donated money to him and it is his money, not theirs. They are neither his guardians nor his conservators.

To me, it's a pretty transparent (and despicable) scam to line their own pockets at the expense of both the homeless guy and the donors.
 
Update: All the money is gone. :rolleyes: https://6abc.com/society/all-gofundme-money-is-gone-attorney-for-homeless-man-says/4144230/



All GoFundMe money is gone, attorney for homeless man John Bobbitt says


All GoFundMe money is gone, attorney for homeless man says. Chad Pradelli reports during Action News at 4:30pm on September 4, 2018.

The attorney for Philadelphia homeless man John Bobbitt, whose act of kindness led to a $400,000 GoFundMe fundraiser to presumably help him, said all of the cash raised in his client's name is gone.

Attorney Chris Fallon said he found this out during a conference call with the attorney for Kate McClure and Mark D'Amico on Tuesday morning.

Bobbitt and his attorney accused the couple of spending a large portion of the money on themselves and sued to find out where the money had gone.

An attorney for the couple, Ernest Bradway, has declined comment.
 

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