Notwithstanding the fact that I have no liking for the mills, but I do agree with them about the grandstanding claim. I suspected this from the onslaught, knowing the AG and how they operate, I see no justice for the homeowners, after the elections are done with, so its the same pile rolling down the hill. How come Charlie is so silent these days?
Shapiro & Fishman accuses McCollum of grandstanding
SOUTH FLORIDA BUSINESS JOURNAL – BY Paul Brinkmann
Shapiro & Fishman law firm under state investigation
Three S. Fla. law firms target of probe
Florida’s attorney general investigating three S. Fla. law firms
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Law firm Shapiro & Fishman has accused Attorney General Bill McCollum of pre-election grandstanding and “abuse of power” in connection with McCollum’s recent announcement that his office is conducting a foreclosure fraud investigation into that firm and two others.
The allegations are in response to a coordinated investigation announced by McCollum during an Aug. 10 press conference. McCollum said his office is looking at whether the three South Florida firms engaged in unfair and deceptive actions in their handling of foreclosure cases.
The other firms were the Law Offices of Marshall C. Watson in Fort Lauderdale and the Law Offices of David J. Stern, P.A. in Plantation.
The firm’s response came Friday in a motion to quash a subpoena in Palm Beach County Circuit Court.
“As a result of this economic crisis and political climate, politicians have joined in the blame game in an effort to demonstrate their concern for ‘consumers,’” the firm’s petition states.
The petition said the attorney general’s news release mentioned issues that are not even covered in the state’s subpoena, and that the subpoena is overly broad – requesting documents apparently unrelated to the investigation.
The firm also alleges that the timing of the investigation and press release, “done on the eve of a hotly contested primary election involving the attorney general, raises serious questions of good faith and abuse of government power.”
The firm points out that McCollum’s press release talked about fabricated mortgage assignments, while his subpoena of the firm’s records mentions only the firm’s “advertising and marketing” practices.
McCollum’s spokeswoman, Sandi Copes, said the investigation has been ongoing for months and “the timing of this had nothing to do with political environment.”
McCollum alleged that the firms, which were hired by loan servicers to begin foreclosure proceedings when homeowners were behind on their mortgages, may have fabricated mortgage assignments in order to speed up the foreclosure process.
Read more: Shapiro & Fishman accuses McCollum of grandstanding – South Florida Business Journal
