Hand Brake Stuck
 

On my 1990, 190E, 2.6 the hand brake is stuck. Reviewing the previous posts in this forum, all seem to deal with the brakes being stuck in the "on" position, or not releasing. This is the opposite, I cant get the lever to budge when I push the button and try to lift it up. Almost feels like the lever is bolted down. I am pretty sure it's not frozen, it's 102 in the shade in NY right now.

I know the easy answer is getting it up on a lift and having a look, but first I wanted to see if there is any history out there.