Battle over 4 Brooklyn properties in estate of trailblazing Black woman doctor
By Adam Pincus
A son and granddaughter of a trailblazing African-American doctor, Josephine English (Sheppard), claim in a lawsuit filed Friday that another of her sons has taken control of four properties in Brooklyn, and not shared any proceeds from the estate following English’s death in 2011. Two of the properties have development agreements with Evenhar Development Corporation, which were recorded in Acris. Evenhar is not named in the case.
The four properties, a mix of commercial and residential buildings, total 32,708 square feet of built space. There is one property in Stuyvesant Heights, the 12,536-square-foot 375 Stuyvesant Avenue. The others are in Fort Greene and are the 12,500-square-foot 40 Greene Avenue; the 4,592-square-foot 54 Greene Avenue and the three-family 3,080-square-foot 392 Adelphi Street.
The court filings are allegations and have not been verified by PincusCo.
English was one of the first Black women OB/GYN doctors in New York, according to the New York Daily News, and founded health clinics in Bushwick and Fort Greene. In addition she delivered thousands of babies, including the children of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz.
According to the complaint, she left her estate to her three sons, one of whom has died and his share is now to be given to English’s granddaughter.
The complaint alleges son Ira Barry Sheppard is controlling the properties on his own and “has not distributed to plaintiffs their share…”
The plaintiffs seek a partition of the estate’s four properties and distribution of the proceeds.
In 2016, Ira Barry signed agreements then recorded in Acris with Evenhar Development Corporation’s Oren Evenhar, which stated that Evenhar’s company would obtain an ownership stake in the properties “on or about the granting of contemplated approvals for the property’s development.”
Evenhar in 2017 filed plans for a new building at 375 Stuyvesant, but the plans were disapproved and have not been permitted.
Yimby reported on renderings for the project in 2018.