07/31/2026
Jennine Labuzan spent two weeks in federal custody in June 2026 after refusing a federal judge's order to sign a quitclaim deed relinquishing her rights to over 1,300 acres of ancestral family land in rural Mississippi.
While researching her lineage, Labuzan discovered her third-great-grandfather, Charles A. Labuzan, owned an interest in 1,300 acres in Washington County, Mississippi.
In September 2022, she filed a pro se lawsuit against several law firms, farms, and agricultural businesses (including Lakeland Farms and Greenlee Family), alleging they were occupying her family's land illegally.
Both the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately rejected her legal claims.
U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock held Labuzan in contempt for repeatedly defying court orders to execute a deed resolving the property dispute.
U.S. Marshals detained Labuzan on June 5, 2026. She spent two weeks in custody before being released on June 23, 2026, though she still firmly refused to sign.
Following her refusal, Judge Aycock utilized Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 70 to strip Labuzan of her claimed interests via a direct court judgment, granted summary judgment to the defendants, and formally closed the case.
