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.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Undeterred By State Bar Suspension, California Attorney Continues Peddling Foreclosure Relief Services
In Modesto, California, The Modesto Bee reports:
A Modesto attorney suspended for botching real estate cases continues offering services similar to those that got him in trouble.
John Villines acknowledged Monday that his advertisements might mislead potential clients into thinking he's still practicing law. He will change wording and ask again that his landlord remove building signs indicating his office is a law firm, he said.
Without running afoul of discipline imposed by the California Supreme Court, Villines intends to offer help to thousands of property owners in danger of losing their homes, he said.
"I'm no longer representing anyone in court," said Villines, whose nine-month suspension began June 20 and could end in March if he passes an ethics exam and repays five former clients $46,205.
Villines believes the suspension does not prevent him from negotiating to halt foreclosures or arranging loan modifications, services that landed him in hot water with prosecutors with the State Bar of California.
According to court papers, four of five complaining clients lost their homes after Villines made legal blunders. The other obtained a loan modification without his help.
Twice, Villines waited longer than the law allows to file lawsuits against lenders — in one case, more than a year after he was hired and three months after the property had been sold in foreclosure. In two other cases, he failed to file lawsuits for his clients but kept their money.
One lawsuit was worthless because Villines "discovered that he had not named the proper defendants," a document says, and he dropped two other lawsuits without telling clients.
"The suits had very little value, if any, for the clients," reads a stipulation that Villines signed in November, admitting wrongdoing as alleged. He kept fees and gave no accounting as required by California attorney Rules of Professional Conduct, the document says.
Four years' probation
In what amounts to a plea bargain, Villines agreed to two years' suspension with all but nine months stayed, or forgiven, if he repays the money and complies with other requirements. He will be on probation for four years, the court order says.
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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