Kroger settles with Calif. law firm
Headline News
Under terms of a settlement announced by Oregon Attorney General John Kroger, a California law firm is prohibited from providing loan modifications in Oregon and is required to pay $28,857.
"I will not hesitate to take action against companies that attempt to take advantage of Oregon homeowners in distress," Kroger said.
The settlement followed an Oregon Department of Justice investigation that determined The USMAC Law Group had violated state law by collecting advance fees for loan modifications to prevent foreclosure sales.
The DOJ's investigation also focused on alleged non-compliant contract language and deceptive infomercial advertisements for the firm's loan modification program that aired nationally on satellite television.
Loan modification companies are prohibited from collecting advance fees and using confusing contract language by the 2008 Oregon Mortgage Rescue Fraud protection Act.
The USMAC Law Group will provide $6,857 in refunds to two Oregon consumers and an additional nine Oregon consumers who contracted with The USMAC Law Group may also be eligible for refunds. The remaining $22,000 will be paid to the Oregon Department of Justice. No wrongdoing was admitted by The USMAC Law Group in agreeing to the settlement.
The settlement with The USMAC Law Group comes as part of a crack down on unscrupulous loan modification work to fight the foreclosure crisis by the Department of Justice, the Department of Consumer and Business Services, the Oregon Legislature and consumer groups, Kroger said.
Related listings
-
Supreme Court considering changing lawyer ad rules
Headline News 01/06/2010The state Supreme Court is considering changing Indiana's rules governing advertising by attorneys. State Trial Court Services Director Tom Carusillo says many of the proposed changes are designed to clarify the rules' language or update the rules to...
-
Campaign finance law: Third time a charm?
Headline News 01/03/2010Vermonters running for office this year are already raising and spending money, but the rules that try to limit the influence of campaign money on government are murky.Legislators may – again – pass a bill this year limiting donations from individual...
-
Fla. gov: No reason to refuse lawyer's donations
Headline News 12/28/2009Florida's governor says he saw no reason to investigate a South Florida lawyer charged with operating a $1 billion Ponzi scheme or refuse his political contributions.Gov. Charlie Crist said Thursday he initially didn't believe rumors about now disbar...
Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC
A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party
Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party
However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.