Kangaroo Court

“Anyway, it only got worse from there.  As the “trials” proceeded, they weren’t trials at all.  Nobody even sat at counsel table.  Instead, the judge forced everyone to stand, right in front of the bench, for the trial.  Clearly, the judge wasn’t intending that the “trials” last very long, not even allowing the homeowners or their lawyers to sit down.”

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Foreclosure Defense in Miami-Dade

I don’t know Matthew Bavaro, a fellow foreclosure defense attorney who practices in Miami.  However, the story he posted on his blog today struck a cord with me, as it’s eerily similar to an experience I had in Miami a few weeks ago.  At this point, it’s time – perhaps past time – that I shared my experience and voiced my concerns.

I had a trial scheduled in Miami, and when I arrived in court, it was apparent that dozens of other trials had all been set for the same time, before the same judge.  While it’s never ideal to have to sit around and wait for your case to be called, it gave me the chance to watch other cases.  Wow, what a nightmare.  As each trial started, the judge made an unsolicited “offer” to defense counsel of a 120-day sale date, advising the defendant that if he/she did not take the deal, the “offer” would be off the table after the trial.  That was the judge’s routine procedure – without hearing any evidence, or knowing anything about the facts of the case, the judge was essentially telling the homeowner “you better consent to judgment and accept a sale date in 120 days or I’m going to rule against you and set an earlier sale date.”

Punishing homeowners for going to trial.  Wow.  Just … wow.  That alone is nuts.  Candidly, I told that story to a local judge (not a fellow defense attorney – a local JUDGE), and he couldn’t believe it.  There is no circumstance – none – where a judge should be taking it upon himself to tell a defense attorney that he is going to lose at trial and he should accept the judge’s deal, and that’s precisely what this judge was doing.

Can you imagine this in any other context?  How about a criminal case … judge tells the defendant “you better accept this plea, as if you go to trial, I’m going to rule against you and impose a harsher sentence.”  Totally nuts.

Be sure to read the rest here…

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4closureFraud.org