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.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Adverse Possession-Claiming Squatter Ignores Cops' 30-Day Notice To Hit The Road, Ends Up In Jail Facing Trespassing Charges
In Brandon, Florida, ABC Action News reports:
Deputies found groceries on the counter, a bed on the floor and a car parked in the garage. None of which would be out of the ordinary, except the belongings did not belong to the Joyce Grimsley who actually owns the home.
Grimsley locked up and moved out two years ago. Foreclosure looms, but county records list her as the current owner. Yet another woman moved in last November and has been living in the house ever since.
We found a Norma Eaton had filed an adverse possession application with the Property Appraiser’s office. Eaton would not come outside to talk, but she explained over the phone that she moved in after an online search of foreclosed properties led her to this house.
Squatters are nothing new. The glut of foreclosures spawned an increase the number of people laying claim to a home, based on a century-old adverse possession law.
Grimsley tried contacting a lawyer and the sheriff's office, but deputies say warnings did not work on Norma Eaton. She was arrested on trespassing charges.
The Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office says standard operating procedure for them is to issue a 30-day notice to vacate the property. Once the 30 days are up, they move in and arrest the reported squatter.
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)
<< Home