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Elderly Gay Man May Lose Home After Dispute with Late Partner’s Family

Brownstone
Jason Farrar/Flickr

A missing signature on a will has pitted Tom Doyle against the nieces and nephews of his partner of five decades. 

An elderly gay man is suing to inherit a West Village brownstone that he shared with his late partner for 55 years.

Tom Doyle was left the $7 million, three-story building by the will of his longtime partner Bill Cornwell. However, the will failed to have the two witness signatures required by New York law, so the property has passed to Cornwell's next of kin, his nieces and nephews.

The family has decided to sell the property, and Doyle is fighting the sale.

Doyle, 85, told The New York Time that he was "not so concerned about the money," but more "about a roof over my head for the rest of my life."

Cornwell's family tried to make a deal, offering Doyle a garden-level apartment for five years at a rent of $10 a month. However, Doyle refused and is claiming full ownership of the building.

Despite their longtime romantic involvement, the couple never married.

A call to Doyle's attorney was not returned.

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