The displacement of seniors is a troubling issue in San Francisco but Iris Canada is not part of that story. As court rulings affirm, Iris left her San Francisco apartment in 2012 and moved to Oakland to live with her family who had decided she was too old to live on her own. Many years before, the owners granted Iris a "life estate" to ensure she could live there indefinitely for $700 a month — so long as she actually lived there. By moving out, Iris violated her life estate contract and legally compelled its termination.

The owners, who were fond of Iris, even offered to overlook her breach of contract so long as she helped her longtime neighbors with a condo conversion that had zero impact on her. But at the insistence of her family — who wanted to get the apartment for themselves — and against the advice her attorneys, Iris refused and forced the owners to court to recover their property.

The court saw thru the staged media events and ordered repossession of the unoccupied unit. After the family rejected all offers of assistance, the sheriff confirmed Iris was not living there and the locks were quietly changed. Sadly, but for the family's meddling, these events were easily avoidable. The family drove an outcome that neither Iris nor the owners wanted.

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The detailed facts are below.