Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

Legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus.

1410 Posts and Counting

Old Republic Announces That It Will Not Insure Properties Foreclosed by J P Morgan Chase and GMAC.

Aha! Now it is starting to make sense. It seemed a little strange that J P Morgan Chase and GMAC had halted foreclosures in judicial foreclosure states pending an investigation of practices that they must have known have been going on for years. Well, now we are starting to see why.

Lead Paint: EPA Contractor Certification Required.

If you are a landlord, you need to be aware that since April 2010 the EPA has required that you may only hire a contractor who has obtained an EPA certification to do repairs on properties built before 1978 that may be occupied by children. Of course, you can do the work yourself without a certification and you can do a very small repair (the regs specify this in detail), but by and large you must ask any contractor you hire to work on a pre-1978 building for proof of certification. The fine for non-compliance is $37,500.00 per occurrence.

AVVO Answer of the Week: Statutory Dating

No. 511 Here’s an AVVO Answer that will bring a smile to your face, unless, of course you’ve been wondering the same thing. CLT

Case of the Week: Ninth Circuit Holds that Failure to Provide Zoning District for Tattoo Parlor Violates First Amendment.

he Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that the failure of the City of Hernando Beach, California to provide a district where tattoo parlors could be located constituted a de facto ban on that form of expression and thus violated the First Amendment.

ROBOSIGNERS UNDER SCRUTINY IN MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE MILLS.

Serious internal investigations appear to be underway at J P Morgan and elsewhere concerning mortgage servicing practices related to foreclosures. Of course, unfair and unethical practices, such as forging affidavits to cover lost documents and starting foreclosures in the name of a party who does not own the mortgage have been under attack from a cadre of dedicated lawyers, such as April Charney in Jacksonville Florida, who have been winning cases with increasing frequency. Along the way, several state attorney generals (but not including Pennsylvania) have joined the movement.

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CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

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