Manatee County circuit judge Janette Dunnigan has had enough of the unethical and potentially illegal practices of the foreclosure mills and imposed a $49,000 fine on Smith, Hiatt and Diaz for its handling of a Florida Foreclosure Lawsuits. In handling the case, originally filed in 2007, Smith, Hiatt, and Diaz has set seven different hearing and either not showing up for them or canceling them at the last minute and not notifying the homeowners or their attorney's.
Judge Dunnigan called the behavior "willful, deliberate and flagrant and (it) violates oaths of professional practice for lawyers." This is believed to be the first major penalty from a state court judge attacking how the foreclosure mills handle their practice. Judge Dunnigan also imposed an additional $7,000 per day fine until Smith, Hiatt and Diaz provides her with a description of a few policy to clean up their practice of setting hearings without having all their documents prepared accordingly.
Hopefully, this is the first major step toward stopping how the foreclosure mills deal with Florida Foreclosure Lawsuits. Their practices clog the courts with unnecessary cases and most of all hurt Florida homeowners. If you are facing a Florida Foreclosure Lawsuit contact a Florida Foreclosure Lawyer today to review your case and see what defenses may be available to help save your home.
