Khan isn’t actually homeless; that yard and house happen to belong to him and his wife. But after a months-long dispute and several legal battles over a divorce, his wife decided to kick him out of the house.
The problem is, the property deed is in both of their names. And Khan really, really does not want to leave his house (although it seems that he doesn’t have quite so much affection for his wife).
“My emotions are with this house. I could live on the floor over there,” Khan told news reporters, explaining that he had plenty of money to stay in a hotel, along with several offers from friends to stay in their homes. “But I’m on my own property.”
Around 95% of divorced couples are able to reach a settlement outside of the courtroom in a somewhat peaceful fashion, but it seems like this particular out-of-house settlement isn’t likely to end on similarly good terms.
According to CBS Houston, Khan stated that it was a “typical argument” with his wife that led to her throwing him out of the house, but Lakeville police reports show that their disagreements have been going on for months. Local authorities were called to the house as many as 30 times in the six months before Khan’s wife decided to throw him out and change the locks.
Khan is in frail health and suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure; the New York Daily News reported that he has been taken to hospital multiple times for medical treatment, but he always ends up back on the front lawn of his house.
Despite his wife’s pleas, neighbors are still leaving food outside for the man.
“If you want to feed him, take him to your house. If you want to, you can keep him at your house. Thanks for your sympathy,” reads a note posted to the front door of the Khan family home.
However, there’s a different side to this story which changes the situation a little bit.
When Khan was asked why he chose to stay in his yard — specifically in the front yard — he explained, “People will know, the neighbors and everything else. Everybody will ask her, put her down, let her know what you’re doing to your husband.”
Shahnaz Khan, his wife, is a doctor in the Friendswood area. According to the couple’s son, she’s also spent years suffering from her husband’s abuse. USA Today reported that Harris County Criminal Court records show Khan was arrested in 2008 for domestic violence, and Shahnaz filed a protective order in December 2014 before filing for a divorce in June.
“My dad has abused my mom, emotionally as well as physically (just as recently as a few days ago),” son Zain Khan wrote in a Facebook comment. “He hit my mom many times and as recently as a few years ago was in jail for domestic violence.”
“We are ashamed that my father has caused all this problem and hate toward my mom.”