COOPERTOWN, Tenn. (WTVF) — After a four-year battle with the IRS, a Middle Tennessee farmer and grandfather says the stress is over.
Wilson Perry Kirby called me this morning to say the IRS has paid him back.
His ordeal began in 2022 when Kirby received a $20,000 tax refund by mistake.
Upon trying to return it, the IRS charged him $4,000 in interest for holding on to it for too long.
This spring, I stepped in and exposed the bureaucratic nightmare.
My reporting even caught the attention of country music star John Rich.
Yesterday brought the ending Kirby had been waiting years to see.
He finally got back the $1,800 refund the IRS had withheld as collateral, and it came with something he never got before: two apology letters.
Kirby says he's grateful for my reporting and for John Rich's help in finally putting the saga behind him.
Every night, Forrest Sanders brings us stories showcasing the best of humanity. This story profiles, perhaps, Tennessee's most eccentric resident who made an impact on an aspiring journalist. I'm always in awe of Forrest's storytelling; I truly appreciated his vulnerability with this one.
- Carrie Sharp
