Real Estate & Property Law

Man Allegedly Impersonated Dead Mom in Unusual Grand Larceny Case

In a case unusual both for its facts and its application of criminal law, a New York man was indicted today on 47 counts for allegedly impersonating his dead mother to collect some $115,000 in benefits. “Mark Twain said truth is stranger than fiction and this is a great example…

Jun 17, 2009 8:10 PM CDT

Chicago Title Suit Warns Lawyers About Relying on Title Reports

An unusual lawsuit filed against a veteran New Jersey real estate attorney by a major title insurance company has caused fellow practitioners to sit up and take notice. Although the suit was dismissed and it appears that the defendant attorney, Albert Birchwale, did nothing wrong, the Chicago Title Insurance Co.…

Jun 16, 2009 5:07 PM CDT

Is Toilet Planter Trash? Legal Showdown Looms in Clash Over City Cleanup Plan

What municipal officials in Lakemoor, Ill., consider trash is personal art as far as Tina Asmus is concerned. And she’s hired a lawyer to make a federal case out of the issue. Specifically, the potential constitutional clash concerns the two toilet planters she has placed outside her home. With a…

Jun 16, 2009 12:04 AM CDT

‘Stealth Coop’ Can Smooth Neighbors’ Ruffled Feathers Over Backyard Chickens

Although some neighbors are squawking about a potential farm nuisance in an urban area, backyard chickens are a growing trend in cities throughout the country. Among those now struggling with the issue are officials in New Haven, Conn., who held a contentious public hearing on the issue this month, reports…

Jun 15, 2009 8:53 PM CDT

Mass. Lawyer Agrees to Pay $115K in Restitution to Settle Mortgage Fraud Case

A lawyer from Brockton, Mass., agreed this week to stop her practice as a real estate-closing attorney and title agent for seven years and repay $115,000 in restitution and fees. Valerie Hanserd struck the deal to settle allegations of mortgage fraud that are being prosecuted civilly by the Massachusetts attorney…

Jun 11, 2009 9:29 PM CDT

Conn. AG Probes Law Firms Involved in Mortgage Foreclosures

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced at a press conference today that he’s sent letters to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to find out why the same two law firms have filed almost two-thirds of the servicers’ foreclosure actions. The Hartford Courant said that it reported last year on the…

Jun 8, 2009 10:46 PM CDT

Pro Se Lawyer Wins Order to Depose Ex-President Bush in Property Dispute

Representing himself in a property dispute over the George W. Bush presidential library at Southern Methodist University, a Texas lawyer has won a highly unusual court order requiring a former president of the United States to appear for deposition. Lawyers for ex-president George W. Bush say they expect the order…

Jun 3, 2009 11:55 PM CDT

Lawyer for New York City Accused of Mortgage Fraud

An assistant corporation counsel for New York City has been placed on administrative leave after federal prosecutors accused him of mortgage fraud. Lawyer Hugh Zuber, 38, was charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, including mortgage fraud, and forging a judicial signature, according to LoHud.com. He made an…

Jun 3, 2009 4:02 PM CDT

3rd N.C. Lawyer to Plead Guilty in Federal Mortgage Fraud Conspiracy Case

A third North Carolina real estate attorney has reportedly agreed to plead guilty in a federal mortgage fraud conspiracy case that allegedly involved selling homes at inflated values in upscale Union County neighborhoods during 2006 and 2007. Lawyer Christine Calbert Gates, who practices in Charlotte, is accused of acting as…

Jun 2, 2009 7:23 PM CDT

More Tips on Top Sites

“Law Firm Websites That Work,” April, was of particular interest to me, as law is a career change and I have worked in the fields of advertising, marketing and public relations. Before becoming an attorney in 1999, I did dabble in lawyer advertising as far back as the mid-80s and…

Jun 2, 2009 4:10 AM CDT

2 Attorneys Among 13 Charged in Claimed N.Y. Mortgage Fraud

Two New York lawyers who allegedly helped close fraudulent mortgage transactions as part of a multi-pronged scheme run out of a Long Island mortgage brokerage are among 13 individuals charged with bank and wire fraud in a federal grand jury indictment in Manhattan. Stephen Caputo, 54, of East Setauket, N.Y.,…

May 28, 2009 10:01 PM CDT

Appeals Court Stays Malpractice Suit Against Greenberg Traurig

A New York appeals court has stayed a malpractice suit against Greenberg Traurig and the chairman of its New York office to allow the facts to be developed first in an arbitration hearing. The court said the California arbitration should proceed first in the interest of judicial economy, the New…

May 27, 2009 12:57 PM CDT

Donald Trump Returns Co-op Fire, Seeks $18M in Response to $87K Eviction Suit

Earlier this week, a New York City lawyer at the helm of his co-op board’s effort to evict Donald Trump’s company from several units was chortling over the pro-landlord lease that the real estate mogul had signed as a tenant. But now Trump has fired back, reports the Am Law…

May 15, 2009 5:15 PM CDT

Oops. Donald Trump, Tenant, Signed His Own Landlord Lease

A New York lawyer suing to evict Donald Trump’s company from several Manhattan co-op apartment units it is renting is chortling over the real estate mogul’s lease. Seems that Trump, when leasing out his own property, has tenants sign a rental agreement that is highly pro-landlord, reports the Am Law…

May 14, 2009 12:12 AM CDT

Fla. Lawyer Now Admits ‘I Did It,’ Gets 5 Years for Role in $83M Real Estate Fraud

Testifying in a co-defendant’s criminal trial earlier this year after he himself accepted a plea bargain, a Florida attorney said he didn’t realize that he was doing anything wrong as he participated in real estate closings that were allegedly part of a $83 million loan fraud scheme. As he was…

May 11, 2009 11:25 PM CDT