The law firm of Steven J. Baum, commonly referred to as a “foreclosure mill” firm because it represents banks and mortgage servicers as they attempt to foreclose on homeowners and evict them from their homes, is no stranger to trouble. Already under investigation by the New York attorney general and having agreed to pay $2 million to resolve a Department of Justice investigation, it is also facing a class-action lawsuit claiming the firm “failed to file certain papers that are necessary to allow for a state-mandated settlement conference that can lead to a modification.”
Baum gained even more unwanted exposure on October 28, 2011, when the New York Times ran a series of photographs depicting costumes worn by the firm’s employees at a Halloween party last year. In one picture, a woman is holding a bottle of liquor while another has a sign around her neck reading, “3rd party squatter. I lost my home and I was never served.” Another picture shows a coffin with an image of Susan Chana Lask, the lawyer who had filed a class-action suit against Steven J. Baum and posted a YouTube video denouncing the firm’s foreclosure practices. The eyes were cut out and a sign on the coffin read: “Rest in Peace. Crazy Susie.”
Times columnist Joe Nocera received the photographs from a former employee who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, but wanted Nocera to see them “because they showed an appalling lack of compassion toward the homeowners — invariably poor and down on their luck — that the Baum firm had brought foreclosure proceedings against.” According to the Times, Baum does not assist people in getting mortgage modifications because the pressure is always to foreclose. “There is this really cavalier attitude,” the anonymous source told the Times. “It doesn’t matter that people are going to lose their homes.”
While Baum represents “virtually all the giant mortgage lenders,” you should know that there are still ways to get foreclosure help. Washington DC bankruptcy lawyer Kevin D. Judd can answer all of your questions regarding a Chapter 13 or Chapter 7 bankruptcy process. A bankruptcy means test can be your first step toward financial freedom, and our firm can help when you contact our office today for a free initial phone consultation.
Law Firm of Kevin D. Judd – Washington DC bankruptcy attorney
