3 Law Firms Among 8 Defendants Sued in Ohio Class Action Claiming Mortgage Servicers Altered Docs
Six law firms are coordinating to represent seven Ohio homeowners in what they say could be a class action benefiting thousands of individuals harmed by falsified and fraudulent paperwork filed in foreclosure cases by mortgage servicers and those working for them.
The Cuyahoga Common Pleas Court suit, which names three law firms among the eight defendants, seeks class action status, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The plaintiffs are seeking damages including lost down payments, lost equity and compensation for the damage to their credit ratings.
The suit alleges that the defendants prepared, executed and notarized fraudulent documents included in court filings to make it appear that the requirements for filing a foreclosure action were met, the newspaper reports. It also alleges that the defendants violated the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act, which sets standards for documentation required to transfer a mortgage.
The article doesn’t include any comment from any of the defendants. The defendant law firms, all of which are based in Ohio, are Lerner Sampson & Rothfuss; Manley Deas Kochalski; and Reimer Arnovitz Chernek & Jeffrey.
None of the defendant law firms could be reached for comment by the ABA Journal late in the day on Tuesday.
