We've had our issues with our local rag paper in the past, from our experience they've had a hell of a time over at the Herald, whether it's getting facts straight, misleading it's readers or having a slightly different opinion of what makes "breaking news".
By now we're all too familiar with foreclosure super villain David J. Stern, the Herald reports that Mr. Stern lost his fight to stop a class action lawsuit against his firm, from the Herald article...
Court upholds decision on Stern, Wells Fargo
By DIANE C. LADE
Sun Sentinel
A state appeals court in West Palm Beach has ruled a class-action lawsuit claiming Plantation attorney David J. Stern charged excessive fees to homeowners fighting their foreclosures can move forward, three years after it was first filed.
The 4th District Court of Appeal's opinion upheld an earlier decision by Palm Beach Circuit Judge Thomas Barkdull. Barkdull had granted class-action certification to a suit brought by Boynton Beach electrician Loren Banner against his lender, Wells Fargo Bank, Stern and Stern's firm, which handled Wells Fargo's foreclosure work.
The class includes Florida property owners facing foreclosure by Wells Fargo who received reinstatement letters from Stern's office between January 2003 and February 2009. They claim they were charged excessive fees for title searches and examinations, being served foreclosure papers, legal work -- and in some cases, were billed for expenses and mortgage payments not yet due.
``These are people who wanted to save their homes,'' said West Palm Beach attorney Louis Silber, who along with attorney Kirk Friedland is representing the homeowners. ``The improper charges made it much more difficult for them to reinstate their mortgages.''
Jeffrey Tew, the Miami attorney representing Stern, could not be reached for a comment Wednesday.
The suit claims Stern's foreclosure practices violated state laws protecting consumers from unfair debt-collection methods and deceptive trade.
Stern's attorneys had appealed Barkdull's certification, arguing circumstances would be different for homeowners whose mortgages had been reinstated and those who lost their property. Silber said between 1,500 and 2,000 borrowers could join the suit. The class is limited to those with Wells Fargo loans. But some of the practices that the suit alleges generate excessive fees are common to most large foreclosure law firms, not just Stern's.
``We think this will have an across-the-board affect,'' Silber said.
Too bad for Mr. Stern. What's even more interesting than the contents of the article was the photo of Mr. Stern that accompanied the article in the paper, take a look for yourselves...
Who the hell is that guy? Let's take a closer look...
Has David Stern aged horribly since his troubles started? Last time I checked Mr. Stern looked like this...
Turns out true to form, the Herald didn't take the time to proof their story before going to print, the David Stern whose photo they used in the article wasn't David Stern the foreclosure attorney but instead David Stern the commissioner of the NBA.
If they can't get something as simple as a photo right, how the hell can we expect them to get the facts of a story right? Nice going guys.
