Two Notorious Players In Nationwide Foreclosure Robosigning 'Phenomenon' Receive Appeals Court Recognition For Their 'Contributions' To The Effort

A recent federal appeals ruling from the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals reinstating a bankruptcy judge's hammering of a foreclosure mill for its use of robosigned documents.(1)

While not directly involved in the litigation of the appeal, two notorious players in the foreclosure robosigning 'phenomenon' that's swept the nation nevertheless received recognition by the court for their apparently 'less-than-meritorious' contibutions to this once fast-growing industry.

Although the court 'buried' the recognition of these 'fine' outfits in two footnotes, the court's observations with regard to this pair arguably deserve some highlighting here.

In footnote 2 of the ruling, the court gives a foreclosure mill law firm its due (alterations in the original):

• Moss Codilis is not involved in the present appeal. However, it is worth noting that the firm has come under serious judicial criticism for its lax practices in bankruptcy proceedings. "In total, [the court knows] of 23 instances in which [Moss Codilis] has violated [court rules] in this District alone." In re Greco, 405 B.R. 393, 394 (Bankr. S.D. Fla. 2009)(2); see also In re Waring, 401 B.R. 906 (Bankr. N.D. Ohio 2009).

In footnote 5 of the ruling, a notorious foreclosure document sweatshop gets its due:

• LPS is also not involved in the present appeal, as the bankruptcy court found that it had not engaged in wrongdoing in this case. However, both the accuracy of its data and the ethics of its practices have been repeatedly called into question elsewhere. See, e.g., In re Wilson, 2011 WL 1337240 at *9 (Bankr. E.D.La. Apr. 7, 2011) (imposing sanctions after finding that LPS had issued "sham" affidavits and perpetrated fraud on the court); In re Thorne [and try here for more on In re: Thorne], 2011 WL 2470114 (Bankr. N.D. Miss. June 16, 2011); In re Doble, 2011 WL 1465559 (Bankr. S.D. Cal. Apr. 14, 2011).

For the court ruling, see In Re Taylor, No. 10-2154 (3d Cir. August 24, 2011).

(1) See Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Reversed Ruling Hammering Foreclosure Mill For Littering Courtroom With Robosigned Docs; Bankruptcy Judge Vindicated.

(2) See In re Greco, footnote 1, where U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John K. Olson lists the following nine cases filed in the Southern District of Florida which he ties to Moss Codilis 'handiwork:'

• (1) In re Kearse, 07-21486-BKC-JKO; (2) In re Nicholson, 08-11474-BKC-JKO; (3) In re Greco, 08-13051-BKC-JKO; (4) In re Kassar, 08-13077-JKO; (5) In re Morton, 08-18853-BKC-JKO; (6) In re Studer, 08-19300-BKC-JKO; (7) In re Buhagiar, 08-19610-BKC-JKO; (8) In re Vargas, 08-20302-BKC-JKO; and (9) In re Imburgia, 08-17153-BKC-JKO.

In footnote 2 of the same case, Judge Olson lists the following additional fourteen cases filed in the Southern District of Florida which he connects to Moss Codilis:

• (1) In re Cecil, 08-10925-BKC-RBR; (2) In re Bertke, 08-16351-BKC-RBR; (3) In re Woods, 08-11231-BKC-PGH; (4) In re Salandy, 08-12866-BKC-PGH; (5) In re Lissandrello, 08-13372-BKC-PGH; (6) In re Biggers, 08-13780-BKC-PGH; (7) In re Colon, 08-14903-BKC-PGH; (8) In re Noble, 08-15675-BKC-PGH; (9) In re Sao, 08-16549-BKC-PGH; (10) In re Shank, 08-18596-BKC-PGH; (11) In re Vega, 08-16381-BKC-AJC; (12) In re Espinoza, 08-21253-BKC-AJC; (13) In re Hargis, 08-21366-BKC-EPK; and (14) In re Brown, 08-23103-BKC-EPK.