Marie Hatch, a 97-year-old woman facing impending eviction, dies at her home in Burlingame in San Francisco, California on Thursday.
Hatch was a feisty woman who would rather die on the train tracks than leave the house she had been residing in for 66 years.
Marie's Death
Hatch caught a severe cold, which was accompanied by heart palpitations and breathing problems. She was admitted to the hospital, and was later discharged, says Nanci Nishimura, one of Hatch's lawyers.
Turns out, Hatch was not able to recover fully as she succumbed to death due to natural causes from the respiratory virus she acquired.
She died in her home with her only son.
Neighbor Lisa Krieger updated Hatch's GoFundMe page, saying Hatch's "body and spirit were too weak to sustain her."
For Hatch's other lawyer named Nancy Fineman, her client's death is no doubt due to the impending eviction.
Notice For Eviction
Hatch is a retired bakery employee who lived in the two-bedroom cottage with her 85-year-old roommate Georgia Rothrock.
On Feb. 11, they received a notice for eviction that required them to move out within 60 days. If not, they would have to face sheriff's deputies.
During that time, Hatch said people were taking away everything from her, adding that she did not know what to do if ever she would leave.
"I have a lot of tears, a lot of happiness, a lot of memories in this house. It is my home. Where can I go?" she said.
Response To Eviction Notice
Fineman and Nishimura from Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy took over Hatch's case under pro bono service. They filed a complaint against landlord David Kantz on Feb. 26 at the Mateo County Superior Court.
The lawsuit alledges Kantz of breach of contract, elderly abuse and intentional infliction of emotional stress. It also claims that Vivian Kroeze, the original owner of the house, asked Hatch to move in with her for companionship. Kroeze promised that Hatch could live in the house until her death if she agreed to move in.
Kroeze eventually died, but her daughter and granddaughter kept that promise.
In 2006, however, granddaughter Pamela Kantz was killed by her new boyfriend during the process of her divorce with her husband, who turns out to be David. The estranged husband then assumed the role of Hatch's landlord.
Kantz said he just kind of inherited the property and that he cannot rely on past promises that were not really supported by written evidence. He just had to do what's best for his beneficiaries, which are his sons.
Kantz said he informed Hatch of the eviction in December 2015, adding that the move made him feel bad for Hatch, his sons and for himself.
Despite Hatch's death, Fineman said they will still continue with the lawsuit for the benefit of Rothrock, the Hatch family and all the people who knew and loved her.
