Woman could lose Florida home over a violation she didn't know existed
miamiherald.comWorse than a patent troll. How can we justify allowing these types of predators?
I think "allowing" is a mischaracterization.
The article says the attorney "signed a contract with the city in 2020 to file foreclosure lawsuits against properties with unpaid code fines".
So it sounds like it is a deliberate set-up.
Where are all the second amendment idiots when it comes to economic tyranny? Maybe the lawyer in the article should try foreclosing the homes of some redneck Florida Man instead of a white collar art worker.
IANAL, but maybe she could sue them for civil rights violations since a $75,000 fine seems like cruel and unusual punishment for such allegedly minor infractions.
Eighth Amendment: "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."
John Oliver recently did a show on this. HOAs were awful enough in my mind before that, now they’re downright scary.
This doesn't seem to be about HOAs, so your comment seems inappropriate.
I know, I know, HOAs are the devil.
But this appears to be a specific situation that is different, and if it is in fact bad and needs reform, then going off on HOAs is counter-productive.
The article appears to mention violations of city codes and I don't see where it says an HOA is involved.
"the city filed suit against her last August to foreclose on the house over unpaid code enforcement fines."
"[the lawsuit] was filed by a private attorney named Matt Weidner, who signed a contract with the city in 2020 to file foreclosure lawsuits against properties with unpaid code fines. Under the terms of the agreement, Weidner gets a portion of whatever the city recovers by foreclosing on homes"
This is suggesting a pattern to me, since there have been other similar arrangements in the news recently.
Wasn't there some law that allowed private individuals to sue over abortion? And isn't there some kind of SEC or other federal whistleblower law that allows people to be awarded millions?
It seems that you didn’t watch the episode, which is exactly about losing your home due to code violations like the ones described in the article.
HOA or not, chipped paint or garden gnomes should never lead to foreclosure.
Maybe the episode is great. It would be dumb to criticize it without watching it. Did I criticize it?
You criticized my comment as being “inappropriate” without reviewing the content my comment was referring to.
Correct. This isn't an HOA, it's the city itself.