BURRILLVILLE, R.I. (WPRI) — “The Conjuring” house saga has escalated.
The homeowner’s sister has filed a lawsuit against multiple people, including Syfy’s “Ghost Hunters” star Jason Hawes, alleging her sister — Jacqueline Nuñez — wasn’t mentally competent when she handed over the rights to sell the famous home for at least $1.3 million.
Elizabeth Greenhalgh of Utah is asking a R.I. Superior Court judge to block the never-before-seen agreement triggered in October when Nuñez is alleged to have signed over limited power of attorney to Hawes’ associate, Julia Demay, to “do all things necessary with respect to the sale of [the home] with Jason Hawes,” according to the lawsuit.
Demay and Hawes told Target 12 they had not yet received the complaint and declined to comment further.
The lawsuit reveals what’s been happening behind the scenes at the 18th-century farmhouse, which sparked international interest last year after Target 12 first reported that Nuñez fired an employee, claiming the spirit of the home’s 18th-century owner told her the employee was stealing.
Since then, multiple famous people have been jockeying to buy the property, which Nuñez had turned into a successful tourist attraction before losing her entertainment license a year ago.
Hawes has been raising money through GoFundMe to purchase the home, an effort spurred by Andrea Perron, who requested on social media that he “save” the home.
The 2013 blockbuster “The Conjuring” was based off the Perron family’s supernatural experience living in the farmhouse in the 1970s.
The buying war erupted after Nuñez stopped making payments on the loan she used to buy the home for $1.5 million in 2022.
The bank initially put the home up for auction, scheduled for Halloween, but a company controlled by YouTuber Elton Castee purchased the underlying note beforehand — effectively canceling the highly anticipated event.
As it stands now, Castee’s company owns the debt, and Demay “has entered, or will soon enter” into an agreement to sell the property to Hawes. Castee and comedian Matt Rife have been trying to buy the home separately from Hawes, which comes in the wake of them buying the Warren house in Connecticut featuring the infamous Annabelle doll.
Castee, whose company is named as an interested party in the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Greenhalgh alleged Nuñez “was legally incompetent and not of sound mind” when she signed over the rights to Demay to sell the home. She accused Hawes of conspiring with Demay and leading a “concerted effort to acquire the property,” despite knowing Nuñez was unwell.
“Nuñez told [me] on multiple occasions that she would never sell the property — especially not to Hawes,” Greenhalgh wrote in the lawsuit, adding that Nuñez has suffered from “various delusions” over the past year that include accusing Greenhalgh and her husband of having “engaged in criminal activity that has absolutely no basis in reality.”
Nuñez, who didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, has repeatedly told Target 12 she would never sell the property.
Hawes and Nuñez have butted heads in the past.
Hawes filed a police report in 2024 asking for a restraining order against Nuñez, alleging she was harassing him and his family and had come up with a twisted theory that he was plotting to kill her.
Hawes, who has said he’s only seeking to buy the home because of Perron’s request, posted on Facebook that the lawsuit “does not change the direction we are moving.”
“In complex property transactions, particularly those involving long histories and multiple parties, filings and delays are not unusual,” he wrote. “Some arise naturally through the process, and some may extend timelines in ways that benefit other parties involved. We remain fully transparent and are continuing to handle everything through the appropriate legal channels.”
“I can’t comment on motives at this time,” he added.
Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.
Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.