How Did Jessica Garrison Have A Mt. Brook House in 2011, When Foreclosure, Public Auction Didn't Come Until 2012?

Jessica Garrison's house
in Mountain Brook

Court documents show that a Republican political operative with close ties to Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange was set to live in a Mountain Brook home in 2011, even though the property in question was not sold at public auction until summer 2012.

Jessica Medeiros Garrison perhaps is best known for her long-running extramarital affair with Strange, which has been the subject of numerous posts here at Legal Schnauzer. Garrison, the ex wife of Tuscaloosa school board president Lee Garrison, works for the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) and serves in an "of counsel" role with the Birmingham law firm Balch Bingham. She also worked in the Alabama Attorney General's Office under current U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions and current U.S. Judge Bill Pryor.

Did Garrison's ties to GOP heavyweights help her obtain a home in Birmingham's most exclusive suburb when the house apparently was not even on the market yet? Did powerful figures pull strings to help keep Jessica Garrison quiet about certain party secrets, and in the process, commit mortgage fraud, foreclosure fraud or other wrongdoing?

We don't have answers to all of those questions yet, but something funky clearly was going on with Jessica Garrison's purchase of a Mountain Brook home. Garrison claims in court documents that the house is within 60 miles of her former marital residence in Tuscaloosa, and that allowed her to maintain primary custody of her son.

In an e-mail dated August 14, I sought to question Garrison about her purchase of the Mountain Brook home, and she did not respond. But two days later, I received a letter from attorney Bill Baxley, threatening a lawsuit on her behalf. Garrison apparently has, in fact, filed a defamation lawsuit against me, although I have not been lawfully served with it.

Why is the house such a sensitive topic with Jessica Garrison? Perhaps it's because the dates involved in its purchase do not add up--and that suggests someone was pulling a fast one.

The house in question is at 119 Main Street in the uber quaint Crestline section of Mountain Brook. That is such a hot address that even a 1940s cottage of modest size can capture an eye-popping price. Jefferson County property records show Garrison's house has 2,213 square feet and is appraised at $439,900.

What about that curious timing? Well, let's first consider a document from Garrison's custody case titled "Verified Amended Petition for Modification of Custody." (See the full document at the end of this post.) The petition is dated August 22, 2011, and deals in part with Garrison's decision to give up a job at Strange's office in Montgomery in order to resolve a custody dispute. From the petition:

The Mother, acting under the good faith belief that a move to Birmingham would mitigate the tension between the parties, found a home in the Crestline community of Mountain Brook, Alabama, that she understood and believed to be within 60 miles of the Father's current residence. The Mother duly notified the Father of her intended change of principal residence by certified mail on or about July 26, 2011. Regrettably, the Mother's decision and actions appear not to have had the desired positive effect on the tension between the parties.

This establishes that Jessica Garrison had the Crestline home lined up on July 26, 2011, but that is at odds with a Foreclosure Deed on the property that is dated July 20, 2012. (See the full document at the end of this post.) The deed says a foreclosure sale was conducted via "public outcry" on July 20, 2012, with Burt W. Newsome conducting the auction for Renasant Bank. The document goes on to state:

Jessica Medeiros Garrison was the highest bidder in the amount of Thirty Thousand and 00/100 ($30,000), which sum of money Renasant Bank offered to apply to the costs of foreclosure and then to the remaining balance on the indebtedness secured by said mortgage, and said property was thereupon sold to Jessica Medeiros Garrison.

How did Jessica Garrison know she had a house in 2011 when it wasn't sold at foreclosure until 2012? We don't know--but we do know that Ms. Garrison isn't anxious to answer questions about it.

Garrison Divorce--Modification of Custody by Roger Shuler

Garrison Foreclosure Deed1 by Roger Shuler