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.
Monday, December 21, 2015
Media Troubleshooter Probe Leads To Contractor's Arrest In Alleged Home Improvement Ripoff; Accused Of Signing Bogus Lien Waiver Despite Stiffing Supplier; Unwitting Homeowner Discovers Problems When Hit With Mechanics' Lien Lawsuit
Joseph and Cindy Villella, of Plum, say they gave contractor Shawn Laughner $3,693 to buy countertops for their kitchen, but according to a criminal complaint, Laughner never paid for the countertops.
Villella was angry with the way the kitchen turned out after he and his wife spent more than $30,000 remodeling it.
But he was even angrier when he was hit with a lawsuit by the company that supplied his countertops -- all because, he says, Laughner never paid that supplier.
“I've already paid. I've got paperwork that says I've paid, statements that say they were paid. And you're coming after me?” Villella said.
Laughner signed a lien waiver in March saying "all suppliers...have been paid in full and that none" of them "has any claim, demand or lien against the project."
But now the district attorney is going after Laughner, charging him with theft by deception for allegedly taking $22,043 in total from the Villellas and two other customers.
Laughner is also charged with deceptive or fraudulent business practices and home improvement fraud.
"I'm going to fight it," Laughner said by phone. "I'm absolutely going to fight it."
Laughner said he thought Villella had made arrangements to pay the supplier directly. Villella said that never happened.
“You know, he could have just paid everybody off and walked away," Villella said. "But for some reason, he chose not to walk away and just created this big mess."
As for the other two customers, Laughner said he wanted to finish their jobs but they fired him after Action News Investigates first reported Villella's story.
Laughner faces a preliminary hearing on the charges next month.
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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