Francine Lankford, who had lived at 418 Taylor Road for more than two decades, now faces a fresh legal battle after the appeals court overturned a ruling that had awarded the property to a buyer.
The dispute began in 2017 when a small‑claims judgment in Lee County ordered Lankford to pay an unrelated debt; the court later used that judgment to justify the 2018 auction of her Elgin home.
The auction, held on September 4, 2018, saw only one bid—$20,000 from Tracy Ortiz—who claimed the property was no longer her homestead. Newparah The sale was overseen by Bastrop County Constable Salvador Abreo, with bidding announcements handled by Noe Reyes of McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen, a detail Lankford argued made the process improper.
Lankford’s core claim rests on Texas homestead protection, which bars the forced sale of a primary residence to cover ordinary debts. The appeals court found the evidence of abandonment insufficient, overturned the lower court’s ruling in Ortiz’s favor, and remanded the case for further examination.
The next step will be a lower‑court hearing, where Lankford can present a new petition; the court has scheduled preliminary arguments for February 2027.
Behind the legal wrangle, Lankford and her partner, Frank Vickers, had used the house for mail, utilities, and daily life, never treating another address as their permanent home—a fact that underscores the personal stakes in the dispute.