One Homeowner's Uphill Battle with Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs Shows...

[Brewman_Jax]

One Homeowner's Uphill Battle with Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs Shows How Badly The Courts are Stacked Against Ordinary People

http://www.alternet.org/story/155595/one...ry_people/

From the article:

Quote:Mary Glover, a Pittsburgh-area homeowner living on Social Security disability income, is taking on Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo, charging that they've violated federal and state consumer protection laws and breached contracts.

Yet, because of a decision by one judge, she and thousands of homeowners like her could be priced out of their ability to fight back in court against shady dealings by the nation's biggest banks. And while the decision in this case may seem exceptional, as Dahlia Lithwick and others have pointed out, it's part of a disturbing pattern of the courts shutting their doors to everyday litigants and class-action suits—and in some cases, literally handing corporations a playbook on how to get away with screwing over the little guy.

As she and her attorneys attempt to get Wells Fargo and Goldman to hand over documents relevant to her case, the banks' repeated stalling caused the judge to appoint a “special master” over the case—and required Glover to split the fees for this outside attorney equally with the defendants, banks with billions to spare (and, of course, billions in bailouts from the federal government as well).

“It's a David and Goliath situation. When you escalate the costs, there's simply no way that a low-income litigant can keep up,” attorney Scott Michelman, with Public Citizen's Litigation Group, told AlterNet. Michelman and Public Citizen are representing Ms. Glover in a new federal lawsuit filed in the Third District Court of Appeals on May 24, charging that the appointment of the special master in this case will effectively stifle Ms. Glover's ability to go forward with her claims.

Much of the discussion of the mortgage crisis over the last four years has been focused on the refusal of banks to modify borrowers' mortgages so they can stay in their homes, or on illegal foreclosure proceedings. But Ms. Glover's case shows that achieving a mortgage modification is sometimes only the beginning of a homeowner's struggle with the big banks.


...

This isn't David vs. Goliath, but Bambi vs. Godzilla. Add the collusion of a corporate-controlled court system, homeowners don't have a chance of justice and fair treatment.

[pappy]

Your right, at least David had a sling shot to fight Goliath.

[sandnsea]

I just want to add here that even small local banks can be difficult. It's better because at least you can walk your hiney in there and sit down until the bank president talks to you. But I've had them lie straight to my face about selling mortgages, while literally having people out front with "Bank Local" signs during the OWT protests. This is a situation where they're all crooks. The local realtors and appraisers and bankers who didn't ring the warning bell are just as giulty as the big banks. And they are making money on the short sale and foreclosure resales too - so they don't give a shit. Imagine over-appraising a house 5 years ago, and then getting paid again for a shitty appraisal today, because whoever pleases the biggest players wins. All based on bullshit. Pure Bullshit.

[Brewman_Jax]

This is supposed to be assistance, not a racket!