“One of Watson’s attorneys was paid $1 for each Affidavit of Reasonable Fees, which purported to attest, under oath, to the truth and accuracy of information contained in the document.
But an unknown number of 150,000 affidavits signed by this attorney were not completed in the presence of a notary as required. Also, “in numerous instances”, the attorney was given only the last page of the affidavit to sign meaning he likely did not review the supporting information.”
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Foreclosure mill head faces Florida Bar discipline
by Kim Miller
The owner of the Fort Lauderdale-based Law Offices of Marshall C. Watson has agreed to plead guilty in a proposed Florida Bar consent judgment that accuses him failing to supervise or train his employees in foreclosure-related work.
The judgment, which still requires final approval by the Supreme Court of Florida, is believed to be the first punitive action taken against the owner of one of Florida’s large law firms that represent banks in foreclosure cases.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi closed her office’s foreclosure investigations last year after a Florida Supreme Court decision upheld a ban preventing the state from subpoenaing documents from the firms. Watson’s firm was the only one of those investigated that agreed to a settlement with Bondi’s office, paying $2 million while admitting no wrongdoing.
According to the December agreement between the Florida Bar and attorney Marshall Watson, he will be suspended for 91 days and required to pay $30,000 for a record-keeping analysis by the Bar plus $5,931 for its investigation.
All suspensions of 91 days or greater require proof of rehabilitation and approval of the Supreme Court before a lawyer may be reinstated to the practice of law.
The 12-page agreement states that, if approved by the court, Watson will have to close down the Law Offices of Marshall C. Watson.
Consent Judgement below…
Rest here…
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4closureFraud.org
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Consent Judgement
[…] practices enough to fend off a new set of accusations by the Florida Bar. The Bar has just released a 12-page guilty plea for consent judgment with Marshall Watson. This is the Florida Bar’s third regulatory action against foreclosure mill […]
[…] practices enough to fend off a new set of accusations by the Florida Bar. The Bar has just released a 12-page guilty plea for consent judgment with Marshall Watson. This is the Florida Bar’s third regulatory action against foreclosure mill […]
OH HAPPY DAY !!! will this make my 4 plus year old case go away ??
NO -all Watsons cases will just be passed on to another “Mill” !!!
It sure is the best news I’ve read in years.
Happy New Year Marshall Watson, Ms. Graham & Ms. Arango
A suspension? I happen to be in the medical field. If I caused the same amount of harm as this law dodging “Attorney”…I would end up LOSING MY LICENSE in the state of FLORIDA. I would also have quite the time finding a career in the medical arena with “hands on” patient care.
This crook and his firm had/committed “hands on” foreclosure actions against thousands of individuals and families. A license is not meant to be up for suspension due to these harmful acts!
Kudos to the banks though…they were able to pawn there deplorable actions onto a poor attoRney (and firm) that was only doing his/their job.
If you are a foreclosure attorney, maybe consider changing your client base. Pursue foreclosures that are valid, maybe ones via private individuals and hard money lenders that typically avoid securitization schemes. I am not saying the law is always fully complied with the above mentioned lenders, but certainly, if I were an Attotney this would be my SAFE client base.
God bless everyone fighting this foreclosure mess.
COURTS…PLEASE WAKE UP. IF ATTORNEYS ARE STOOPING THIS LOW, THERE MUST BE A REASON. BANKS AND FRAUD!
Hopefully this is a start in at the very least, a different direction. I would
strongly urge the citizens of Florida to take this information to the polls in2 years. DOnt forget. I find it ironic, how after the election this was brought to light, but at least it was. Vote your elected officials out of office.
Close them ALL down one down hopefully and many many more to go, one thief at a time or 50 at a time, we are so ready!!! or 5000 at a time bring it on!!! Waiting with bated breath we are yes we are!!!! so ready!!!
What goes around comes around to bite his own ASS! This news has made my day! Close him down, burn him down, and get rid of this hijo de puta. I do not understand why the Attorney General’s office and the so-called legal system are babysitting this crook. Watson has absolutely NO conscious, morals, principals, professional ethics, or ANY respect for the law!
My Assignment of Mortgage is a total FRAUD, executed by his bitch (Graham) presuming to be ” Assistant Secretary” of MERS. Not only do they use “robo signers,” but they even impersonate employees and state officials. Now they even have retired judges and state prosecutors working for them? How “honorable.”
This is a circus for Florida courts to salvage what little dignity they have left by acting tough. At the end of the day, most of these judges and lawyers will fall back on scumbags like Watson for a cushy retirement.
Welcome to sunny Florida!
Great 30,000.00 gas money
91 days to clean up the act and press on
window dressing
this is just SwampGas
I think it’s an outrage HSBC Bank USA hasn’t had its U.S. banking licenses revoked for: “MONEY LAUNDERING” around the world. Bank crime shouldn’t pay. (HSBC Bank used MARSHALL C. WATSON lawyers). “HSBC Bank is a: *CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE*.