Welcome to The Home Equity Theft Reporter, a blog dedicated to informing the consumer public and the legal profession about Home Equity Theft issues. This blog will consist of information describing the various forms of Home Equity Theft and links to news reports & other informational sources from throughout the country about the victims of Home Equity Theft and what government authorities and others are doing about it.
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Florida Bar Loan Mod Probe Ends In Disbarment For Attorney Who Essentially Rented His Law License To Non-Lawyers To Run Upfront Fee-Clipping Scam
In West Palm Beach, Florida, The Palm Beach Post reports:
An attorney who operated a Boca Raton-based mortgage modification and foreclosure defense firm was disbarred this week for splitting fees with non-lawyers, improperly soliciting clients and not providing promised services.
William Timothy O’Toole, who was a founder of the Summit Legal Group, was previously placed on emergency suspension. His disbarment is effective immediately and shall last for a period of at least five years. He has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1992.
“The non-lawyer staff misled clients to believe that (O’Toole) would represent them in their foreclosure defense cases in their states even though respondent could not provide those services because he was only licensed in Florida,” a Florida Bar report said. “Clients paid Summit Legal Group fees in varying amounts for services that were not rendered or completed.”
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In a deposition, O’Toole admitted that he gave almost exclusive control of Summit Legal Group to the non-lawyers who controlled all the contact with clients, from the initial call to advising the client of the outcome of their case.
CBC News: Betrayal of Trust (A CBC investigation reveals how lawyers across Canada have misappropriated and mishandled clients money, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, or sometimes even charging vulnerable people top dollar for shoddy services)
Land Contract/Contract For Deed/Rent-To-Own Rackets
The New York Times: The Housing Trap (In the wake of the housing crisis, low-income families have turned to seller financing to buy homes but these deals can be a money trap)
Beware The Fine Print: Consumers Forced To Sign Away Their Rights To Use Court System
The NY Times: Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice(Part 1 in series examining how clauses buried in tens of millions of contracts have deprived Americans of one of their most fundamental constitutional rights: their day in court)
Foreclosure Mills' Abysmal Record In Complying With New NYS Foreclosure Requirements
Justice Deceived: How Large Foreclosure Firms Subvert State Regulations Protecting Homeowners
MFY Legal Services Report On Questionable Practices By Process Servers In Debt Collection Cases
Justice Disserved: A Preliminary Analysis of the Exceptionally
Low Appearance Rate by Defendants in Lawsuits Filed in the Civil Court of the City of New York
Mortgage Mess Redux: Robo-Signers Return (A Reuters investigation finds that many banks are still employing the controversial foreclosure practices that sparked a major outcry last year)
CNN Video: As Foreclosures Mount, Florida Court Turns To 'Rocket Docket'
The Wall Street Journal: A Florida Court's 'Rocket Docket' Blasts Through Foreclosure Cases (2 Questions, 15 Seconds, 45 Days to Get Out; 'What's to Talk About?' Says a Judge)
"Produce The Note" Strategy When Dealing With Missing Promissory Notes In Foreclosure Actions
ABC Video: Fighting Against Foreclosure (Some homeowners have found a new tactic to keep the banks at bay)
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