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 02, 2013
Colorado's Largest Foreclosure Mill Sues State AG In Effort To Bury Billing Records, Thwart Probe Into Alleged Inflated Fee Racket
In Denver, Colorado, The Denver Post reports:
Colorado's most prolific foreclosure law firm — led by attorney Larry Castle — is the latest to file a lawsuit and formally ask a Denver judge to protect its records from a state investigation into its billing practices.
The Castle Law Group filed its case late Friday in Denver District Court against Attorney General John Suthers to prevent turning over more than 700 e-mails the firm says are protected by attorney-client privilege.
Castle has asked District Judge Kenneth Laff to review the e-mails and about 52 pages of documents in chambers to determine whether they fall under protection from disclosure.
Suthers' office issued a subpoena to Castle's firm — once known best as Castle, Meinhold, Stawiarski,and then as Castle Stawiarski — in April seeking thousands of pages of documents in its investigation of attorneys' billing practices.
The investigation centers on claims that lawyers representing banks and other lenders pad the expenses they're entitled to recoup, generating profits that investigators say are paid for by homeowners and taxpayers.
Efforts to reach Castle were unsuccessful, and a spokeswoman for Suthers' office refused to comment.
Several law firms have refused to cooperate fully with civil investigative subpoenas Suthers has issued since December, nearly all claiming attorney-client protection. Castle is the second to sue Suthers directly over the request for records that the lawyers say are privileged and protected from disclosure.
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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