Judge Slams F'closure Defense Lawyer w/ $12K Fine After Refusing To Recuse Himself In Case Involving Bank From Whom He Received Three Loan Mods

In Detroit, Michigan, The Michigan Citizen reports:

• Third District Court Judge Robert J. Colombo recently received three home loan modifications from Charter One Bank. Colombo ruled, however, he did not need to recuse himself from a mortgage foreclosure case involving the same bank. Nor did it stop him from levying a $12,000 fine on the attorney and client fighting the bank’s foreclosure when the attorney attempted to link the foreclosure case to a discrimination lawsuit now pending against Charter One.

• Attorney Vanessa Fluker has devoted her legal career to defending victims of foreclosure and predatory lending in Detroit. On March 1, Fluker’s colleague, Jerry Goldberg, defended her against a court sanction handed down by Colombo. Colombo’s decision included the $12,000 judgment against Fluker and foreclosure victim Asha Tyson.

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• During opening statements, Goldberg emphasized the effects of unfairly sanctioning one of the few attorneys who defend homeowners victimized by predatory lending and subsequent evictions. “To put a damper on attorneys to even raise these issues has a negative impact on society,” Goldberg said.

For more, see Judge fines anti-foreclosure lawyer (Court sanctions attorney for linking foreclosure to Charter One discrimination case).