Help Robert Miller Save His Family Farm

My name is Robert Miller. I’m a sixth-generation farmer in Carroll County, Maryland. Last year, I had a lot of medical problems and ended up having to have three major surgeries: lower back surgery in October, spinal fusion in December, and bypass surgery in January. While I was in the hospital and at home on bed rest, my 77-year-old mother, who we believe is in the beginning stages of dementia, fell and broke her femur and was in the nursing home up in Manchester on several medications and painkillers.

The farmer that lives next to us, who has been lifelong friends of the family, was actually my school teacher in high school, then principal, and finally county commissioner for Carroll County for many years. HTalked my mother into selling our farm, which was appraised at $2.6 million, for $500,000. This included her house, my house, a house my severely handicapped niece lives in and a mobile home and several barns. The neighbor told her that she, my severely handicapped niece, and I would have a life entitlement and could live on the farm for the rest of our lives for free. My mother had no idea what she was doing. She actually thought she was getting $1 million, which is still less than half of the value. She took the $500,000 and had her house remodeled, not understanding that it is not her house, so she basically gave all the money right back to the neighbor.

I had no idea any of this was going on until I got a letter saying I had 90 days to vacate the premises. In the last three years, I built a $100,000 shop and put another $50,000 into my house. I am now on disability that provides very little help. The neighbor is not offering me anything at all. They just want us out. We are trying to fight and have the sale of the farm overturned. Unfortunately, one attorney cannot handle all of it. We have to have at least two, maybe three attorneys. The first attorney, who is going to try to overturn the sale of the farm because my mother was not of sound mind, requires a $10,000 retainer to start. The second attorney, who is trying to stop the eviction and has a court date of November 12, requires a $1,500 retainer to start. This has been an absolute nightmare. We are going to lose everything. We are trying everything we can to save our farm and desperately need help.