Monday, June 04, 2007

Southeast Missouri Hit With Rash Of Home Title Thefts

KFVS-TV Channel 12 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri has recently reported on a rash of forgeries and other improprieties that is threatening the property ownership of many Missouri residents. In one story, a 78-year-old Sikeston man reportedly had the title to three properties that he owned sold out from under him as a result of a forgery of his signature. According to the story:

  • "Scott County Recorder Tom Dirnberger noticed an unusual pattern in property sales, dating back to 2004. Dirnberger explains is as a three part process: 1. Low-end rental homes are bought 2. The homes are purchased through an out-of-state bank for two to three times their assessed value 3. The homes are foreclosed on just a few months later. Dirnberger [says] he's seen hundreds of properties sold like this, adding up to more than $15 million. In the last few weeks, he's also received several calls from local property owners wanting to check their deeds."

The Sikeston man is currently represented by Missouri attorney Jim Robison, who filed a "petition to set aside deeds and deeds of trust" in order to restore clear title to the three properties in the victim's name. Robison is reportedly also representing three other Scott County property owners, who have also experienced the same problem with forged signatures. For more:

  • watch Part 1 - Channel 12 TV report, (by reporter Kathy Sweeney)
  • watch Part 2 - Channel 12 TV report, or
  • to read online report, see House-jacked in the Heartland.

For another Channel 12 story, this time of a Millersville, Missouri family whose home is threatened with foreclosure due to what appears to be a skimming scam, where payments made by the homeowner to one party (a modular home vendor) weren't ultimately remitted to the mortgage lender who now seeks foreclosure, see:

Go here for other posts on this story.

S. California Man Accused Of Stealing His Grandmother's Home Equity

According to a report by television station NBC 7/39 in San Diego, California:
  • "Jay Ladran, 31, is facing charges of elder abuse and fraud. According to the sheriff's department, Ladran forged his grandmother's signature in order to steal her home. He allegedly borrowed close to $400,000 against the home, which is located in Imperial Beach. The sheriff's department said that Ladran admitted he used some of the money for a down payment on a home, a failed business and on his "sexual compulsions.""

For more, watch the NBC 7/39 TV report (no longer available online).

To read the online report, see (no longer available online) Man Accused Of Stealing Grandma's Cash (Deputies Say Grandson Used Cash On Strippers, Prostitutes)

Mass. AG Issues Emergency Rule Banning Foreclosure Rescue Scams; Sues Attorney / Foreclosure Rescue Operator

In Massachusetts, The Boston Globe reports:

  • "Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley yesterday issued an emergency regulation to ban foreclosure-rescue scams that rob financially troubled homeowners of their properties. The ban extends for 90 days, but Coakley intends to follow up with a permanent regulation to make foreclosure-rescue scams illegal in Massachusetts."
Also in the article is the story of one foreclosure rescue victim who said she lost $96,000 in equity and her Brockton home after signing over her property to attorney Alec G. Sohmer, who offered to help homeowners facing foreclosure save their homes. The victim reportedly stated, "I trusted him, because he's a lawyer".

Reportedly, the attorney general brought legal action last August against Sohmer and his wife, Jennifer, claiming they were offering a foreclosure rescue scam. According to the story:

  • "The state said Sohmer persuaded clients to sell him their properties unwittingly , promising they could stay in them by making payments to him and then "repurchase" them later. When the clients couldn't make the payments, Sohmer tried to evict them and sell the property, the attorney general's office claims."

For more, see:

Florida Non Profit Law Firm Swamped With Calls From Homeowners Facing Foreclosure

In Jacksonville, Florida, The Times-Union reports:
  • "Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, a nonprofit law firm, has been swamped with people seeking help to keep their homes. Since January, the firm has been able to open 26 new foreclosure cases but it has been forced to turn away 152 people because it lacks enough attorneys, [executive director Michael] Figgins said. He said that based on the firm's past success, he figures Jacksonville Area Legal Aid could have been successful in at least 90 percent of the cases that were turned away. Lenders often must make accommodations to homeowners, but the process is so complex that homeowners "run into a brick wall" if they don't have a lawyer representing them, said Lynn Drysdale, an attorney for Jacksonville Area Legal Aid."

For more, see Wait's longer for help with foreclosures (The city's new no-interest loan program won't be ready until fall).

Washington Authorities Investigating Fire Of Home Involved In Foreclosure; Arson Suspected

In Clark County, Washington, The Columbian reports:

  • "A Sifton-area man died Friday of injuries he suffered in a house fire early Thursday that also severely injured his wife. Also Friday, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said the fire was arson."

Reportedly, the couple was renting the house from Gary Colemansmith, who said he bought the house at a foreclosure auction last October and rented it back to the couple, the former owners. Colemansmith said the wife had given him written notice recently that the couple would be moving out May 31. For more, see Sifton-area man dies from fire injuries; arson blamed. zebra

Another California Appraiser Fighting Mortgage Fraud

In Southern California, the North Country Times reports the story of one local real estate appraiser's efforts to combat mortgage fraud. According to the article:
  • "Real estate appraiser Todd R. Lackner's second job as mortgage fraud investigator began when he stumbled onto a suspicious-looking transaction while online one day last March, he said last week. Within weeks, he was chest-deep in dozens of investigations of suspected mortgage fraud, and was helping federal investigators get the goods on real estate scammers who commit what are known as inflated-sale and-crash schemes, Lackner said."

For more, including how he went about compiling the information on the suspicious transactions for authorities, see Real estate scam emerges -- 'Crash and inflate' method generally leads to foreclosure.

Go here for prior posts on Northern California real estate appraiser Gary Crabtree's efforts to compile and provide authorities with information on suspicious real estate transactions.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Typo In Mortgage Scam Letter Claims Unintended Victim

In Utah, The Salt Lake Tribune reports that a woman received 75 phone calls over a few days - all mistakenly directed to her cell phone number by what appears to be a typographical error contained in a mortgage fraud scam letter. "I just hope it stops and that I don't have to change my [cell-phone] number," said the accidental victim. For more, including the details contained in the scam letter, see Sorry, wrong number: Scam snares accidental victim (A fake letter meant to deceive mortgage holders somehow gums up cell-phone user's voice-mail).

Pennsylvania AG's Elder Abuse Unit Fast-Tracks Financial Crime Cases Involving Senior Victims

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently ran a story about several financial scammers who preyed on the elderly in scams involving millions of dollars, and the work of the Elder Abuse Unit of the office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General in prosecuting those cases. Included in the cases was that of a Fayette County lawyer accused of stealing more than $100,000 in mortgage settlement payments from older clients. Mark Morrison, 49, of Hopwood, is awaiting trial. The AG's office is targeting these types of cases and encouarges seniors to come forward and report these crimes. For more, see Western Pa. scammers who prey on elderly targeted.

If a Pennsylvania attorney is representing you and screws you out of money or property through dishonest conduct, go to the Pennsylvania Lawyers Fund for Client Security for more information.

For other states, see:

Go here , go here , and go here for other posts on elder financial abuse. zeta elder financial abuse

Hawaii Passes Law To Protect Elderly From One Form Of Home Equity Theft

The State of Hawaii has passed three new laws directed to the protection of its senior citizens from scams, according to the Hawaii Reporter. Included in those laws is HB1336 SD1 (Act 50), which is designed to punish unscrupulous brokers who convince elderly homeowners to sign mortgages that cause them to forfeit the equity in their property or lose their home by imposing fines of up to $10,000 for each violation. For more, see Governor Signs Bill to Protect Hawaii's Seniors from Financial Abuse and Fraud.

Go here , go here , and go here for other posts on elder financial abuse. zeta elder financial abuse

Weekend I.D. Theft Blotter

This week's identity theft related links follow:

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Homes Used As Marijuana Grow Ops A Concern For Some

Realty Times reports today a story from Canada regarding the increased use of single family homes being used as marijuana grow operations . According to the story:

  • "An increasing number of grow ops are being discovered across the country, leaving mortgage lenders and sometimes unsuspecting new homeowners with dangerously contaminated homes. The cultivation of large amounts of marijuana in confined spaces gives rise to safety issues involving mold from excess moisture, as well as contamination from the use of fungicides and insecticides, various solvents and other chemicals used for various purposes."
For more, see National Remediation Strategy Urged for Marijuana Grow Ops.

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In addition, the San Francisco Chronicle recently reported a story about the problems landlords face when their tenants turn a rental home into a marijuana "grow room." The story includes the plight faced by one landlord who actually went through this nightmare; the pot-growing tenant actually threatened to sue the landlord -- for mold. For more, see Hard to just say 'no' to marijuana-growing tenants.

Tenants Suffering Fallout From Unwittingly Renting Homes In Foreclosures

It used to be that when a landlord rented to a tenant, it was the landlord who scrutinized the tenant's background to determine if the tenant was a good risk. Now, it seems that the tenant has to scrutinize the landlord (and probably even check the property title for recent activity - recent sales - ie. property flipping, existence of a lis pendens or notice of default indicating a possible foreclosure or government forfeiture action, but even that may not help) to determine if the landlord is a good risk (or is he/she merely skimming the equity in the house by pocketing the rent and security deposit without paying the mortgage).

The St. Petersburg Times is reporting a couple of stories of tenants who have unwittingly moved in and rented homes in the Tampa, Florida area, only to learn that the owner hasn't been making his mortgage payments and, consequently, found themselves as defendants in foreclosure actions.

One family, who moved from The Bronx into a Tampa-area home two months ago, were served with notice on May 19 that the bank seeks to foreclose because the owner is months behind in his mortgage payments.

For another couple, this scenario played out on two consecutive rentals. First, they rented a home from Victor Clavizzao, a loan officer (and reportedly, a felon) whose real estate transactions have been the subject of prior investigative reports in the St. Petersburg Times. When that home went into foreclosure, they moved into a home purportedly managed (and possibly owned) by Billy Womack, whose own real estate activities were the subject of a prior story in The Tampa Tribune. The Womack house had reportedly been recently flipped for more than double the previous price within a six month period, and the mortgage is also reportedly now in default.

For more, see Renters, too, face mortgage fallout (Unwary tenants find themselves caught in a widening web of fraud and foreclosure).

For story update, see Felon changes tune on mortgage fraud (8-23-08; In filings made public this week in U.S. District Court in Tampa, Clavizzao agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to fraudulently obtain nearly $6-million in mortgage loans on the Venetian Isle house and 12 other homes and condos in Pinellas County).

For other stories on tenants unknowingly renting homes in foreclosure, go here, or here, or here.

For more on Victor Clavizzao, see Multi-Flipped St. Pete Home Raises Suspicion.

For more on Billy Womack, Tampa-based Womack Property & Asset Management, and the 12 houses Womack's brother and sister-in-law got stuck holding the bag on (allegedly purchased on Womack's advice), see A Dozen Houses, A Dozen Headaches (The Tampa Tribune). alpha

Landlords' Rent Skim Leaves Tenant Without Home

In Virginia, the Loudoun Times-Mirror reports of a lupus-stricken Leesburg woman who, five months ago, unwittingly moved into and rented a townhome that either was in foreclosure or about to go into foreclosure. That home was just sold last week in a foreclosure sale and now the woman and her son are forced to uproot again. The former landlords, who apparently were content with skimming the equity by pocketing the rent and letting the home be auctioned, reportedly still owe her $4,850 in rent, deposit money and the $500 she said she spent to landscape the property. For more, see Foreclosure costs Leesburg woman her home.

For other stories on tenants unknowingly renting homes in foreclosure, go here, or here, or here. alpha

$20 Million Scam Dupes The Well-Heeled & Sophisticated

A recent article appearing in the Village Voice's weekly publication, SF Weekly in San Francisco, serves as a reminder that it isn't only the poor, uneducated, and/or financially unsophisticated that are vulverable to scam artists. The educated and financially well-heeled can be just as susceptible to being fleeced, as this story (not a real estate scam) tells. It was an almost $20 million beating that was suffered by a group of investors from the Bay Area of California that included tech executives, physicians, lawyers, and other monied types among those being duped. Not surprisingly, embarrassment was a key factor in keeping the victims from discussing the case in any detail with the columnist for the story. The information for the story was gleaned primarily from court documents, including a criminal indictment and civil lawsuits filed against the alleged scam artists. For more, see Take the Money and Run (Rebecca and Terry Solomon face charges of fleecing almost $20 million from investors, but not even the feds know where the couple is hiding).

Ohio Man Allegedly Steals Parents' House Payments, Home Goes Into Foreclosure

In Ohio, The Sheboygan Press reports that Cleveland man William R. Stingl, 52, was charged with stealing $2,900 given to him by his parents to make mortgage payments on his parents’ property. Stingl allegedly told his parents that he would forward the payments to the bank along with his own portion of the mortgage, but he instead cashed the checks for personal use. His parents found out when they received a foreclosure notice. For more, see Cleveland man charged in theft from parents.

New Hampshire Woman Charged With Stealing Elderly Woman's Home Sale Proceeds

In New Hampshire, The Citizen of Laconia reports that a Belknap County Superior Court grand jury on May 24 returned three Class A felony indictments against Candy L. Latour, 38. Reportedly, Latour was the subject of three indictments. Among other things, the indictments charge Latour with the crime of theft by unauthorized taking of $73,000, which included the proceeds from the sale of the woman's home, the liquidation of the woman's individual retirement account and from her monthly Social Security income. All of the crimes are alleged to have occurred in Moultonborough. For more, see Woman indicted in theft of elder's money.

NY Attorney Pleads Guilty Of Ripping Off Aunt Of Home Sale Proceeds

In New York, the Mid Hudson News reports that attorney Shelly Ann Rivera of East Haven, Connecticut pled guilty in Westchester County Court to grand larceny in the second degree for stealing $550,000 from her aunt. She represented her aunt in a number of real estate and financial matters. In May 2005, Rivera received a check for approximately $480,000 from her aunt as the proceeds of the sale of a house in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. In August of 2006, Rivera received another check for $522,248 which was a portion of the proceeds for the sale of another house in Warwick in Orange County. Rivera held the money in trust to be used in a subsequent real estate transaction. On October 9, 2006 she failed to provide her aunt with $860,000 needed by her to purchase a new property in Riverdale, New York. For more, see Attorney pleads guilty to defrauding her aunt of cash.

Disbarred Florida Lawyer Accused Of Stealing From Trust Accounts

In Florida, The Pensacola News Journal reports that disbarred Pensacola attorney Vincent J. Whibbs Jr. faces more possible prison time with a racketeering charge added to three previous felony fraud and theft charges. The additional charge of racketeering relates to an allegation that he took $683,827 of clients' money for his personal use from law firm trust accounts while the senior partner at his former firm. Whibbs already faces two charges of grand theft of more than $100,000 and a charge of mortgage fraud. For more, see Whibbs faces fourth charge (Disbarred attorney also is accused of racketeering).

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Subprime Mortgage Manipulations Being Exposed

Bloomberg.com ran an extensive, detailed story today about the excesses that took place in the subprime mortgage lending market and highlights the escapades that went on at Costa Mesa, California based Secured Funding Corp., a Southern California mortgage originator.

Among the sub-stories contained in the article are:

1) The story of Taher Afghani, who went from making $58,000 a year managing a Target distribution center, to pulling down $120,000 when he joined Secured Funding. "Afghani and other subprime veterans say their job was to reel in borrowers, period. Never mind whether customers needed loans or could manage payments."

2) How "anyone can work for a big lender under the umbrella of a single corporate license. The [California Association of Mortgage Brokers] estimated that a minimum of 600,000 people were peddling loans in the state last year. In other words, the corporation can hire a loan originator right off the street and have them originating loans that day without any education, licensing or individual accountability."

3) The story of Charlyn Cooper, a former Secured Funding underwriter, whose "job was to rein in the salespeople and make sure paperwork was legitimate so Secured Funding could sell its loans upstream. She says Secured Funding unloaded most of the loans on HSBC Holdings Plc's HSBC Finance unit, which has been racked by the subprime blowup. [...] Secured Funding salespeople didn't always appreciate Cooper's scrutiny of loans, she says.

4) The lawsuits from individual borrowers that are piling up around the country against the big lenders in the industry and the prospect that details of "[m]any subprime sales techniques are now spilling out in the lawsuits, advocacy reports and Congressional hearings."

For more, see Subprime Fiasco Exposes Manipulation by Mortgage Brokerages.

Michigan Servicemember Loses Home To Illegal Foreclosure, Says Lawsuit

The Detroit News reports:

  • "When Sgt. James Hurley of the Michigan National Guard returned from the war in Iraq in December 2005, he found someone else living in his home. Hurley's lender had foreclosed on his mortgage while he was serving overseas and put his wife and two children out of the house in Hartford, in western Michigan, according to a complaint filed this month in U.S. District Court in Detroit."

Reportedly, a foreclosure and sale on a mortgage secured by home owned by someone while on active duty in the military is prohibited under the Federal law now known as the Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act. Michigan attorney Matthew R. Cooper, who is representing Hurley in the lawsuit, claims that the foreclosure and sheriff's sale happened even though the lender was notified that Hurley was on active duty in Iraq and that the Hurley's financial situation was as a result of being on active duty.

For more, see Servicemen battle money troubles too (Michigan soldier's loss of home to foreclosure illustrates financial strain of being sent overseas) (no longer available online).

For copy of the civil lawsuit filed in Detroit Federal Court, see Complaint - Hurley vs. Deutsch Bank National Trust, et al.

Go here for other posts on the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

Illinois Servicemember Loses Home To Foreclosure

In Illinois, The Beacon News reports of another active duty servicemember losing his home to foreclosure and having his family evicted while he was still serving in Iraq. This time, the servicemember is an Aurora medical doctor, husband and father of six who is caring for wounded soldiers in Iraq, where the Army major serves as a physician. He is scheduled to return to Aurora by the end of June, according to his wife.

Reportedly, troops on active duty are protected from foreclosure only if their financial delinquency is the result of their military service. In this case, the doctor's failure to pay his mortgage started before the Army sent him overseas and, consequently, is not entitled to the protection afforded by the Federal law now known as the Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act. For more, see

Go here for other posts on the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

$6.5 Million Property Bought At Foreclosure For $2,000

This story may not be about the theft of someone's home equity, but one foreclosure buyer got a "steal" and may be of some interest to foreclosure auction investors. A foreclosing mortgage lender was owed about $17 million, secured by 57 acres of undeveloped land in Sacramento County, California. A public auction was scheduled to commence on February 24, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. An individual, Bruce Palmbaum, showed up at the auction with $10 million in available funds. The property was reportedly worth about $6.5 million, and the foreclosing lender intended to place an opening bid of $6 million. According to the court case:

"The sheriff commenced the sale around 10:00 a.m. (the exact time is the subject of intense dispute) and Palmbaum submitted an opening bid of $2,000. Palmbaum’s bid turned out to be the only bid because [the foreclosing lender's] designated bidders got stuck in traffic (my emphasis) on the morning of February 24 on their way from the Bay Area to Sacramento, arriving at the auction room sometime after 10:00 a.m. After the sheriff’s gavel fell confirming a sale to Palmbaum for $2,000, the late-arriving bidders vociferously objected, demanding that the sale be rescinded. The officer replied that bidding was closed and the property had been sold to Palmbaum."

Subsequent litigation by the foreclosing lender to undo the foreclosure sale was unavailing. The bottom line was that Mr. Palmbaum walked away with 57 acres of land, reportedly worth over $6 million for two grand (I hope the foreclosing lender's attorney had his/her malpractice insurance paid up).

Source:

Amalgamated Bank vs. Superior Court, (Cal. App. Ct., 3rd District, April 16, 2007; case available online courtesy of Findlaw.com)

For a short blurb in The Union on this case, see Business Law Bulletin: The devil is in the details, by California attorney Peter C. Bronson (look for the caption: Third case: The purchase thwarted by heavy traffic).

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

More Surprises For Real Estate Investors To Look Out For

KGW-TV Channel 8 in Portland, Oregon recently ran a story about a novel approach used by a homeowner facing foreclosure in addressing his financial situation. For more, see

1) Man uses pigs to trash own house after foreclosure,
2) watch KGW-TV Channel 8 News Report,
3) Follow up report, Charges possible after pigs rescued from foreclosed home.

For more on foreclosures and family pets, go here, and go here. petsII and foreclosures
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The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported a story about the problems landlords face when their tenants turn a rental home into a marijuana "grow room." The story includes the plight faced by one landlord who actually went through this nightmare - the pot-growing tenant actually threatened to sue the landlord -- for mold. For more, see Hard to just say 'no' to marijuana-growing tenants. pot grow ops alpha

Commentary On Ex-Subprime Loan Originators Eyeing Move To Reverse Mortgage Market

For one reverse mortgage blogger's commentary on the recent Reuters' story Ex-subprime loan officers eye booming senior market, about former subprime mortgage loan officers gravitating to the reverse mortgage market, see Subprime brokers rushing out of the soup lines! (Out of work mortgage brokers flock to reverse mortgages).

For a BusinessWeek blogger's thoughts, see The mortgage mess of ... 2012.

Go here for other posts on reverse mortgage problems.

Go here , go here , and go here for other posts on elder financial abuse. zeta zebra elder financial abuse

NY Lawyers Land Legal Fee Of $1 Million In Pro Bono Case

I stumbled across a recent New York Law Journal article (appearing in New York Lawyer) that reports on a case heard by a New York Federal Court where the lawyers representing a group of waiters, busboys and captains who worked in a restaurant in New York's Chinatown successfully challenged an unfair labor practice engaged in by their employer. While the attorneys (Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and the Urban Justice Center) reportedly took on the case on behalf of their clients on a pro bono basis (ie. no legal fees charged to the restaurant employees), a federal judge nevertheless awarded the employees' attorneys a legal fee of $957,710; with liability for the payment thereof being imposed on the restaurant who engaged in the unfair labor practice.

For a copy of the Federal Court decision, see Heng Chan v. Sung Yue Tung Corp.

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I make mention of this case because, in the context of foreclosure rescue litigation, I have no doubt that there are some people who wonder how a financially strapped homeowner, someone who can't afford to make his/her mortgage payments, can possibly be able to afford an attorney to sue a foreclosure rescue operator in order to get his/her home back. The reason that there are a growing number of homeowners bringing lawsuits against foreclosure rescue operators is because their attorneys, like the attorneys who represented the waiters, busboys, and captains in the New York labor law case, are suing for violations of statutes that allow a judge to award a successful plaintiff's attorney a legal fee, and impose the obligation for its payment on the party who violated the law.

Examples of such laws are:

1) The Federal Truth In Lending Act (see, for example, Moore vs. Cycon Enterprises, where a Michigan Federal Court ruled that a foreclosure rescue operator violated that law in a purported sale leaseback arrangement with a financially strapped homeowner).

2) State consumer protection and/or unfair and deceptive trade practices statutes (see, for example, Eicher v. Mid America Financial Investment Corp., where the Nebraska Supreme Court affirmed an attorney fee award of $378,000 to the lawyers representing a group of foreclosure rescue victims, and imposed the obligation for its payment on the foreclosure rescue operator, who was found to have violated the Nebraska Consumer Protection Act).

3) In addition, there is at least one state that allows for a similar award of attorney fees by a court for violation of the state usury laws involving consumer loans and credit sales (see, for example, Smith v. Eisen, where an Arkansas appellate court ruled that a homeowner was entitled to an award of her attorney's fees to be paid by a pawn shop owner; in this case, the court found that a sale of a home with a contemporaneously executed buyback arrangement between the homeowner and a local pawn shop owner was nothing more than a usurious loan secured by an equitable mortgage).
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I am also compelled to mention one other case reported on this blog in the past. In this case, the Washington, D.C. law firm Hogan and Hartson LLP obtained a substantial jury verdict, including $3.3 million in punitive damages, against a foreclosure rescue operator in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for violating the D.C. Consumer Protection Act (see Hogan & Hartson Wins $3.3 Million Verdict in Pre-Foreclosure Scam Case). While the news release does not discuss attorney fee awards (and presumably the D.C. statutes allows for an attorney fee award on top of the damages award), it is not unreasonable to believe that the law firm will, at a bare minimum, share in a part of the $3.3 million punitive damage award. Assume a cut of between 20% and 40%, and you can do the math yourself.

Whether you are a financially strapped homeowner, an experienced or aspiring foreclosure rescue operator, or an attorney thinking of representing either, I hope the foregoing has given you some insight as to:

1) How foreclosure rescue victims can go about retaining the services of an attorney for the purpose of undoing a foreclosure rescue arrangement and either getting back their homes, or otherwise salvaging the equity in their homes, and

2) who will end up footing the bill for the foreclosure rescue victim's legal fees in a successful litigation.

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Go here for other posts referencing Eicher vs. Mid America Financial Investment Corp.

Go here for other posts referencing Smith vs. Eisen.

Go here for other posts referencing Hogan & Hartson. equitable mortgage yak