Real Estate & Property Law

Lawyer Sues Homeless Center, Says Disheveled People Scare Away His Tenants

A Houston lawyer has sued a homeless center and church, claiming “disheveled individuals” attracted by offers of free meals and services are scaring away his tenants and hurting the value of his building. Lawyer Harry Arthur claims The Beacon day center for homeless people is a public nuisance, and he’s…

Nov 24, 2009 6:50 PM CST

Fighting for Marquee Law Firm Tenant, Landlord Sues Officials Over Incentives

A Chicago landlord is suing St. Louis and Missouri officials over a major law firm tenant that is allegedly being lured to another building with illegal taxpayer-funded incentives. Among the benefits that Lewis Rice & Fingersh expects to get from the move to One City Centre is $300,000 forgivable loan,…

Nov 23, 2009 11:31 PM CST

ABA Leader & Land Use Expert Loved Baseball and Hawaiian Shirts

Renowned for his Florida land-use expertise and love of baseball, David Cardwell was seemingly more comfortable in a Hawaiian shirt than a business suit. “But once he opened his mouth, you knew this guy was the smartest man in the room. And you had to listen,” John Jacobsen of the…

Nov 21, 2009 12:29 AM CST

Many More Mortgage Fraud Cases in Pipeline; ‘Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel’

Mortgage fraud prosecutions are likely to increase exponentially as federal authorities gear up nationwide to put a higher priority on such cases. In Nevada, they have some 300 cases in the pipeline, cherry-picking the most egregious, reports the Las Vegas Sun. Like complex drug cases, mortgage fraud cases can mushroom…

Nov 19, 2009 8:12 PM CST

Law Firm Sues, Wins TRO, Over State Ban on Unlicensed Legal Assistants

A law firm has won a temporary restraining order from a state court judge preventing Nevada officials from enforcing new mortgage modification rules that impact private legal practice. Although Cogburn Law Offices supports efforts to protect consumers by regulating the loan modification industry, the Nevada Department of Business and Industry’s…

Nov 16, 2009 6:48 PM CST

Feds File Seizure Action Seeking $500M in Alleged Iranian Gov’t Property in US

Developing: A federal forfeiture action was filed today by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan seeking possession of $500 million in United States assets allegedly held by front companies for the government of Iran. The filing targets a controlling ownership interest in a 36-story New York City office building at…

Nov 12, 2009 11:42 PM CST

Ex-Bear Stearns Hedge Fund Execs Acquitted Today on All Charges

When concerns are expressed that authorities are targeting the small fry rather than the big fish in mortgage-related fraud cases, a criminal prosecution of two former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers has repeatedly been cited as a rare exception. But today the case ended with the acquittal of both defendants,…

Nov 10, 2009 9:35 PM CST

Attorney-Owned Title Co. Accused in Civil Case Over Rubber Refi Checks

A title company owned by two lawyers and another individual is accused of leaving multiple homeowners facing potential foreclosure after they refinanced mortgages but their original loans were never paid off. A cease-and-desist order has been issued against the now-closed company, Counselors’ Title, by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation…

Nov 10, 2009 12:12 AM CST

Landlord to Pay Record $2.72M in Apartment Rental Discrimination Case

Real estate mogul Donald Sterling, who owns the Los Angeles Clippers, has agreed to pay $2.725 million to settle litigation alleging that he violated fair housing law by discriminating against dozens of African-Americans, Hispanics and families with children at dozens of Los Angeles-area apartments that he also owns. The settlement…

Nov 3, 2009 9:43 PM CST

Attorney Charged With Attempted Murder in Bizarre Attack on Lawmaker

Watching his father fight a gut-wrenching legal battle motivated Augustus Mendenhall to go to law school. But the decades-old property dispute still festered, resulting in a bizarre incident this past weekend that left the 38-year-old attorney jailed in an attempted murder case and a 66-year-old Indiana state lawmaker battered and…

Nov 2, 2009 10:05 PM CST

The Bad-Debt Blues

It’s crucial to take federal taxes into account when restructuring debt

Nov 2, 2009 4:10 AM CST

Home Settling

Foreclosure mediation grows, but some wonder if it’s the best option

Nov 2, 2009 2:30 AM CST

Lawyer? What Lawyer? Condo Owner Protests Costly ‘Representation’

Wondering why his mortgage foreclosure case was taking such a long time to conclude, a Florida condominium owner called the lender. The answer: Attorney Bruce Harlan had been fighting the foreclosure on Alejandro Salazar’s behalf for a year, even though Salazar says he had never heard of the attorney, reports…

Oct 28, 2009 6:45 PM CDT

Option ARM Killed Bank & Homeowners; Why Didn’t Feds Shut It Down Sooner?

A risky lending product called an option adjustable-rate mortgage initially helped Washington Mutual—and mortgage brokers, who were paid an especially high commission on these mortgages—make money. Offering a “teaser” interest rate of 1 percent for exactly one month, the mortgage allowed borrowers to choose between multiple payment options on their…

Oct 26, 2009 10:37 PM CDT

Miami Law Grads Get $10K Foreclosure Fellowships to Fill Legal Services Gap

New legal tactics are showing promise for some homeowners in foreclosure, if only they had lawyers to help. The shortage of foreclosure lawyers has reached “emergency proportions,” Time magazine reports. As many as 86 percent of homeowners in foreclosure in hard-hit areas last year didn’t have a lawyer, according to…

Oct 26, 2009 1:41 PM CDT