By Dave Krieger (Op-Ed) December 14, 2012
A lot of homeowners are reading my book Clouded Titles. Many of them seem to appear disconcerted over whether quiet title actions actually work. Of late, the diatribe I get from some is that I appear to be “blowing smoke up their asses”.
Well … I have news for you:
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AN ORDER QUIETING TITLE (MISSOURI CASE)!
For those of you who doubt this action works and that you can’t challenge foreclosures using quiet title actions, think again. Just ask Missouri attorney Greg Leyh about the feasibility of such an action! If you’ve read the latest edition of Clouded Titles, Greg Leyh is one of the attorneys who has commented on my work. I’m not tooting MY horn here. I’m congratulating Greg for a job well done! Since you all wanted to see proof … now you have it! For every quiet title action my firm has been made aware of, there are probably ten quiet title actions we aren’t aware of. Rhode Island attorney George Babcock has also gotten some QT wins of late as well. There are attorneys out there who understand the concepts necessary to engage the “enemy” using these strategies.
Finding Competent Counsel
Part of the issues with homeowners seeking these actions is finding competent counsel. This is one of the reasons that the burgeoning network of paralegals and COTA Preparers out there is vetting attorneys, trying to find counsel that is willing to accept our research and case law as part of our litigation support. The attorneys call the shots here! I am not a lawyer referral service and neither is any given COTA Preparer out there. We are contacting attorneys and having conversations with them to determine: (1) whether there is any interest in pursuing this line of litigation; and (2) to provide counsel with contact information to help them succeed in winning these kinds of cases.
The foreclosure mills have support networks. I talk about them in my book. They are given gobs of information, for which the intended use is to foreclose on homes in America by whatever means are available. Unfortunately, new information has come to light that many of these mills aren’t “playing fair” and tend to “manufacture” documents using false swearing, robo-notaries and surrogate signing through the use of alleged hearsay information obtained through third-party information software platforms. One of our tasks as COTA Preparers is to keep our attorney friends “plugged in” with this new information once we receive it! Even attorneys that have superegos love us, because we want them to win! We are a team of dedicated professionals that seek to engage in “the fight” because we hold ideals true to the spirit and intent of what our forefathers fought for … liberty and justice for all!
This is why I conduct chain of title assessment (COTA) classes around the country. Because of my hectic schedule this year (with audits and COTAs and such), I am limiting my COTA 101 Workshops to six (6) in 2013. They are posted on www.cloudedtitles.com.
As part of the increased need for further training, I have extended the workshop to three (3) days instead of two days. This gives all COTA 101 attendees more hands-on applied advantages to actually performing the analysis necessary to put pen to paper. Attorneys have relied on COTAs in the past as part of case development. COTA analysis is extremely important, especially in determining the issues wherein potential clouds on title exist. Here is one such flow chart that I created as part of a chain of title assessment (this is a sample only and is not intended to be construed as legal advice):
NOTE: The alleged breaks in the chain of title are due in part to sloppy bank record keeping!
Bottom line … there are NOT enough COTA Preparers to handle the onslaught and this scenario is not going to get any better without people who want to learn and help others get “into the game and fight”. If you are interested in getting involved, your emails are always welcomed through this website, attorney or concerned citizen.