Elderly Man Obeys Court Order, Quits Family Home

An 81-year-old man whose son won a court eviction order against him packed the last of his bags and walked out of the Orange home he once owned Tuesday night, wryly calling the move a Christmas present from his son.

Luis Vaca Gallardo and his daughter, Lucille, 42, said they did not know where they would live now.

“We have nowhere to go,” she said, adding that they planned to check local shelters for temporary housing.

“To be honest with you, I feel I’m not related to this family,” she said, wiping away tears.

Knock at the Door

Deputies from the Orange County marshal’s office had knocked at the door of 248 S. Park St. about 6:30 a.m. and ordered the father and daughter to vacate the home.

Municipal Judge Richard W. Stanford ruled Nov. 21 that Gallardo had to leave the three-bedroom house he rented from his son, Felipe Vaca Hernandez, 62, and pay $2,620 in back rent. An attorney for the son said he sought the eviction because Lucille had “verbally and physically” mistreated the elderly Gallardo.

The attorney said most of Gallardo’s other eight daughters and his son have offered him shelter in their homes. Sources close to the family have said that Lucille Gallardo was not welcome in the other homes and that the elderly man would not leave her.

Tuesday, Gallardo called the accusations against his daughters lies. He said she treats him well and has taken care of him for 20 years. Gallardo said he would not want to live with his other children and that he was very hurt by the eviction.

“With what they did to my daughter . . . hurt me,” Gallardo said in Spanish. The dispute “is with me,” he added.

Feud Goes Back Years

The feud goes back years and has divided the large family.

Gallardo and his wife, Concepcion, deeded the house from which Gallardo and his daughter were evicted to his son in 1951, according to court records.

“I don’t think it’s a sin taking care of your parent,” Lucille Gallardo said as she crammed the last of her and her father’s belongings into a rental car. Across the street, in a house where Lucille Gallardo’s mother, Concepcion, and a brother live, some relatives stood outside, watching. A young niece came by and kissed the elderly man and hugged Lucille Gallardo.