Woman added partner to house deed so he’d 'have a place' if something happened to her. After he died, his sister put the home for sale

Nicole Jackson bought a home in Monticello in 2011 and paid in cash. 14 days after the purchase, she added her boyfriend's name to the deed and made him a co-owner. She thought she was doing something nice so he'd "have a place to lay down his head" just in case something happened to her. Unfortunately, Newman passed away in 2022, after 17 years together. What Jackson did not expect was Newman's sister to challenge her ownership, WBRZ Channel 2 News reported on July 30, 2026.

'She just wants money'

Although Jackson and her partner Newman never married, he helped her raise her four daughters. After his passing in 2022, she had been fighting a legal battle to keep her house. Newman's sister filed succession paperwork to get the proceeds he left her. However, Jackson revealed to the news outlet, "She knew I added his name on my house. She knew he had no proceeds in this, so that's why I know it's a money thing. She just wants money."

Contradicting claims

Jackson claimed that she bought and paid property taxes for the house but, since 2022, his sister started paying for it according to her late brother's request. However, in 2025, Jackson began paying again. What shocked her was that the court filings claimed the majority of the cost was covered by Newman, even contradicting Jackson's cash payment claim. At the moment, a judge had ruled that Jackson must sell the house. Newman's sister went ahead and listed the house for sale online at $285,000. Jackson is worried she might lose her home. She said, "I have cried; I'm a nervous wreck."

Legal tangle

64 million Americans co-own a home with someone they are not married to, according to CoBuy’s 2026 national report. The report also estimates that 31.5% of U.S. home purchases now involve co-buyers, up from 25% in 2021. But if one co-owner dies, things can get complicated. According to the 2025 Louisiana Laws Civil Code Art. 797, Louisiana treats co-ownership as “ownership in indivision,” and unless the deed or another legal arrangement says otherwise, each owner’s share is separate.

Wrong move 

While people felt bad for Jackson, the majority of the people in the comment section blamed her for putting Newman's name on the deed. @anopeninvitationwithsheila4348 commented, "He didn't think enough of you to marry you, but you went on ahead and did this? When you do clownery, the clown comes back to bite! Sorry, not sorry for you!" @jincks277 added, "This is so sad! People are crooks and jealous of other people."

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