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, August 15, 2016
Central Florida Judge Sues Crackpot Homeowner Who Filed $2.4 Million Retaliatory Lien Against Him After Issuance Of Adverse Ruling In Foreclosure Action
In Central Florida, the Tampa Bay Times reports:
A Pinellas circuit judge presiding over a foreclosure action is suing the homeowner in that case, claiming she filed "false, fictitious and fraudulent" documents against the judge in his own court.
The lawsuit stems from the 2013 foreclosure of a Clearwater home [...]. Homeowners Leslie and Martin Armstrong stopped making mortgage payments in October 2011, according to court records. Circuit Judge Thomas Minkoff ruled in favor of Wells Fargo on Sept. 4.
Later that month, Leslie Armstrong, 58, filed records against Minkoff in federal court, outlining in a document titled "Criminal Complaint" a list of allegations against the judge and the bank. She demanded a jury trial in the foreclosure, Armstrong wrote, but "Judge Minkoff conspired with Wells Fargo Bank and the trespassing attorneys to steal my property."
***
She also claimed liens against the judge, the bank and the bank's attorneys, calculating that they owed a total of $2.4 million. [...] Armstrong, who still lives at her Clearwater home, could not be reached for comment.
***
Pinellas-Pasco Judicial Circuit spokesman Stephen Thompson said Minkoff filed the lawsuit because the records could "impugn his reputation as a judge."
Minkoff asked the Pinellas clerk of court to remove the offending filings from the record. In the lawsuit filed in Pinellas court on July 8, he explained that Armstrong's filings affect him due to the "false appearance of a secured debt or an outstanding lien" against him.
Minkoff is being represented by an attorney from the Office of the Attorney General, which, under Florida law, is authorized to represent public officials in state court to defend them against false liens.
Pinellas Clerk of Court Ken Burke, who is also named in the lawsuit, said the civil action is a necessary step for the records to be expunged.
"I have no authority to seal records," he said. "I need some type of direction from the court to do so. This lawsuit would give me that type of direction."
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