The idea that the legal profession is all about integrity is being negated with reports coming in of lawyers being threatened if they refer to foreclosure abuses. It is true however that an army of lawyers and bar associations of states is more concerned about protecting their own interests than upholding truth and righteousness. It is the lawyers from small firms that get hauled up. The big brothers always know how to keep their buddies inside the firms and to cling on to important posts.
Florida has been a veritable cesspool of legal wrong doing that ultimately led to the mega foreclosure mills downing their shutters but not one of the single lawyers who were part of it has been sanctioned. But two attorneys of the state had to face threats for being outspoken about the mortgage fiasco. The bar association argued that it takes time to run through investigations although the previous attorney general has been digging up things from last August. Contrary to the slow pace of investigations the bar is quick to silence those members who are frank and candid.
What are alarming is the desperate but potentially strong steps being enforced to cripple the opposition. In the frontlines of the attacks are the attorneys defending foreclosure suits who generally act alone or are parts of small firms whose incomes are modest because money cannot be made by being engaged in pro bono activities. Suing persons in this category with spurious suits hits their operations where it hurts. Litigation means time and money as well as stress and strain. These actions are meant as a warning to others not to indulge in similar dangerous games.
One example is that of a legal suit initiated by National Title against attorney Matthew Weidner of Florida who regularly blogs on fraud in the foreclosure world. He has been charged in the suit with slander and libel. The best way of defense is to establish that the remarks were correct. Weidner was charged for including in a video (YouTube) a deposition made by Crystal Moore – one of the robo signers. Weidner had not done this and the deposition was not included in the suit he was dealing with. Another lawyer, Christopher Forrest, had inserted the videos of the depositions of the three employees of National Title.
This incident is against a broader battle taking place in Florida that led to many media outlets to contact the Chief Justice of Florida. He responded without delay and ordered the hearings to be public.
