The Attorney General’s (AG) Office has launched three new investigations into allegations of unfair and deceptive actions by Florida law firms handling foreclosure cases. The state is investigating whether improper documentation may have been created and filed with Florida courts to speed up foreclosure processes, potentially without the knowledge or consent of the homeowners involved.
The law firms being investigated are: Marshall C. Watson, P.A. of Fort Lauderdale; Shapiro & Fisherman, LLP of Tampa; and the Law Offices of David J. Stern, P.A. of Plantation, Florida. The law firms were hired by loan services to begin foreclosure proceedings when consumers were in arrears on their mortgages.
According to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office, given that key paperwork necessary to obtain foreclosure judgments is often missing as mortgages have changed hands multiple times between institutions, on numerous occasions fabricated documents have been presented in foreclosure actions. As a consequence, thousands of final judgments of foreclosure against Florida homeowners may have been the result of the allegedly improper actions of the law firms being investigated.
The Attorney General’s Office is also investigating whether the law firms have created affiliated companies outside the United States where the allegedly false documents are being prepared and then submitted to the law firms for use.
