Tag Archives: foreclosure

MaryJane! Coming to an HOA House Near You!

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Whew, the webs we weave when first we practice to deceive (Sir Walter Scott, 1808).

Now that marijuana for medicinal AND personal use has been legalized in several states, grow operations are bound to be taking place very near you. A next door grow-op will certainly affect your property values, right? And a Homeowners Association will make sure that never happens to you, right?

Wrong, Bunky. One of the biggest lies in American life is that your Homeowners Association protects your property values. There’s not a scientific study in the nation that shows HOAs protect property values. And there are lots of studies that show HOAs crash property values (think Trayvon Martin’s neighborhood!).

But the growers of grass, weed, Hawaiian black, Indian hemp, jolly green, wacky weed, are looking for a safe place to grow theirs. The safest place in the world is a private home right smack dab in the middle of a Homeowners Association. They’re usually pretty safe. And if they’re not growing ‘skunk’, you’d probably never even notice.

Surely your HOA will protect you against such things as illegal next- door grow-ops. But…if they don’t? How are your property values will do once the police raid gets publicized?

http://tinyurl.com/lxxzd6e

Velly Intelesting! Watch This Defamation Suit!

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The president of the Seascape Homeowners Association in Galveston, Texas, is suing a homeowner for ten million bucks after the homeowner circulated an email to fellow homeowners called the president “arrogant, incompetent, dishonest, and harassing.”

President Ron Benotti is suing homeowner Richard Alan Collier. Collier alleged that Benotti mishandled a project to restore beaches in the area.

The really surprising thing here is that the court didn’t throw this case out long ago based on the ‘public figure’ rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court. Once a person goes public by running for office or otherwise inserting himself into public discussions it’s nearly impossible to successfully sue for libel and/or slander. It’s the one thing that protects news agencies from lawsuits when they inspect the private behavior of public officials.

Benotti’s lawyers had to have told him that his lawsuit will never survive against the public figure argument. His defamation suit is nothing more than a SLAPP lawsuit designed to cost the defendant his life savings and shut him up.

For shame, Benotti and your phalanx of HOA paid-for lawyers! For shame!

(click here for article in the Southeast Texas Record)

Doggie DNA! How Crazy Have We Gotten?

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It had to come sooner or later, swab your doggie’s cheeks and turn it over to the HOA. They’re going to trace each ‘doggie lawn ornament’ through the DNA lab and then fine the doggie’s owner for what wasn’t picked up.

Life gets so strange. We have on record an HOA president who ordered all homeowners to have their dogs take a dump on one specific homeowner’s yard. (Vengeance?)

But now, HOAs across the land are forcing dog owners to swab their doggies’ cheeks and send the Q-Tips off to the DNA lab. Then any dog who makes a ‘donation’ will have his ‘donation’ inspected for a DNA match. And the dog owner will then face a huge fine, attorney’s fees collection costs, interest, possible lien, foreclosure, and a sale of the home at auction.

“What hath God wrought?” (Numbers 23:23)

http://tinyurl.com/l9wmd7x

Whistle-Blowing Lawyer Rats Off Foreclosure Firm

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Two of Colorado’s largest housing foreclosure law firms are now in the cross hairs of the State Attorney General for allegedly fraudulent billing practices.

Attorney Susan Hendrick used to work for the law firm, Aronowitz & Mecklenberg. She has testified under oath that her former employer made millions of dollars by padding its legal bills on housing foreclosures. Those bloated bills that weren’t paid by homeowners ended up being charged off to the taxpayers. Hendrick also alleged that the law firm destroyed evidence subpoenaed by prosecutors during their investigation of the law firm’s practices.

Attorney Robert Aronowitz and his attorney daughter and son-in-law own a private firm which posts foreclosure notices. State investigators say they believe the law firm and the private posting firm were used to inflate foreclosure fees many times above the customary amounts.

Hendrick also testified about the second firm, The Castle Law Group. The two firms have handled 90% of the state’s foreclosures over the past few years. Among other allegations being made are that the two law firms manipulated State Legislators into passing legislation that ended up more than doubling the law firms’ already artificially inflated legal fees.

The Denver Post has been aggressively investigating and reporting details of this story.
Their latest revelations are posted here…. and here.

Fair Housing Law Be Damned!

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One of the few ways that Homeowners Associations consistently lose is discrimination against the disabled or handicapped. Still, in HOA Amerika it’s all about intentionally violating the law because the disabled generally don’t have the money to fight. Occasionally HUD will move in and assess massive fines against an Association. But even that hasn’t made much difference.

The story linked below is about an elderly Florida woman, Claribel Ruiz, who has crippling anxiety and depression. Her doctor advised her to get a companion animal, a Chihuahua which has become a life saver for her.

“Not so fast!” said the Chancellor Hall Condo Association. “Dogs aren’t allowed. We don’t give a flying fig about the American Disabilities Act. Get rid of your dog or we’ll do it for you!”

Claribel’s dog is a registered therapy dog and she even gave her HOA the doctor’s prescription for a therapy dog. The HOA’s attorney then demanded that Claribel surrender all of her medical records to the Association. She refused and finally told the Association that she would give up her dog.

“Great!” said the Association. “That’ll work, but only as long as you pay all of our legal fees!”

As this blogger sits here reading this poor lady’s story, three things stand out: The woman is single, she’s elderly, and her last name is spelled ‘Ruiz’. That’s three strikes, right there!

Where’s HUD help when someone really needs it?

Shame on Chancellor Hall Condo Association.

http://tinyurl.com/n3be6on

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