An Atlanta man who suffered serious burns when his mom's boyfriend allegedly poured boiling water on him and his partner said he is now in a fight with his cousin to access money raised on his behalf.
Donors raised about $70,000 for 23-year-old Anthony Gooden when his story went viral last month. His cousin, Diyawn Jackson, started a GoFundMe donation page to help with Gooden's medical expenses, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Jackson said she has not turned over all the $178,000 raised because she is protecting herself from tax liability and Gooden from other family members she fears would use the money for things that have nothing to do with his medical expenses.
“I’ve given him more than half the money,” Jackson told Channel 2. “Now, I’m trying to get with him, so we can take care of Grady to some capacity, and then if there’s something left over, he can have it.”
Gooden said: “There’s nothing to talk about. You’ve got my account number. You’ve got my routing number. Give me my money.”
He and his partner Marquez Tolbert suffered second- and third-degree burns after Martin Blackwell, 48, allegedly poured boiling water on them. Blackwell told police he did it because the two men are gay.
Blackwell was indicted last month on eight counts of aggravated battery and two counts of aggravated assault. He is being held at the Fulton County Jail.
Gooden was in a coma for two weeks after the February attack. He asked Jackson to set up the GoFundMe page. Two months after that request, Gooden said he has only seen $12,000 of the money raised.
Jackson told Channel 2 she wants to meet with Gooden to sign an agreement releasing her from any liability. She recently shut down the GoFundMe page and hired an attorney.
“My thing is my name was on that account, and I don’t want any repercussions on me for misappropriating the funds,” Jackson said.
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