Announcements

 

Civil Justice Names Cheryl Hystad as New Executive Director

Civil Justice, Inc. (CJ) is pleased to announce the appointment of Cheryl Hystad as its new Executive Director effective April 22, 2013.

William Blackford, Chair of CJ's Board of Directors, said, "The organization is very excited and lucky to have Cheryl as its new leader.  She has great practice and related experience, comprehensive knowledge of consumer law, and is an extraordinary leader."

Most recently, Ms. Hystad worked as Director of Advocacy for the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau.  She is the former Executive Director of the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, as well as one of its founders, and has experience in private practice as a consumer lawyer.

In her position as Director of Advocacy at Legal Aid, she helped to develop and coordinate the Bureau's impact litigation, and was a mentor to Bureau attorneys and staff.  She also helped to develop and obtain funding for new Bureau programs, including its foreclosure legal assistance project.  For years, she has engaged in policy advocacy before the Maryland General Assembly on issues that impact low and moderate income individuals, particularly in the field of consumer rights.

Michael Millemann, a founder of CJ and current Board member, said "I am thrilled by Cheryl's decision to join us.  she is uniquely suited to lead is into the future."

Ms. Hystad received her JD with honors from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1983.

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Civil Justice at (410)706-0174 or by email at cj@civiljusticenetwork.org.

Upcoming Events

 

CJ offers newest training, Identifying Fraudulent Tax Preparers, February 6th


Civil Justice is pleased to offer its newest training course, "Identifying Fraudulent Tax Preparers" on Thursday, February 6th at 10 am at the University of Maryland Francis King Cary School of Law, Room 108.  This introductory training is designed to provide the practitioner with the essential tools needed to determine whether a client has claims against fraudulent tax preparers under MD Code, Commercial Law, §14-3801, the statue that mandates specific disclosures about Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs) or Refund Anticipation Checks (RACs).  The training is free of charge and no pro bono requirement is required.  For additional information or for a registration form, click here.

Anne Arundel County Jury Finds Mortgage Broker Committed Unfair and Deceptive Lending Practices

In the largest known jury award in a Maryland mortgage fraud case in Anne Arundel County history today, Annapolis mortgage broker Brian Blonder was found to have committed unfair and deceptive practices in arranging two toxic, mortgage loans for long-time resident Dennis F. Hollidayoke, now age 78.  The six-member jury of the Anne Arundel County found that Blonder violated the Maryland Consumer Protection Act, Maryland Finder's Fee Act, and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act in providing Mr. Hollidayoke with two loans within six month of each other, during the real estate boom.  Mr. Hollidayoke was awarded the sum of $342,103.40 in damages, not including attorney fees and costs owed to Hollidayoke, to be awarded at a later date.

"The evidence showed that Blonder arranged two payment option arm mortgages for Mr. Hollidayoke which were not suitable for his circumstances," explained Hollidayoke's attorney, and Of Counsel to Civil Justice, Phillip Robinson.  "In addition, the inflated fees charged by Blonder violated state and federal law.  As a result of these loans, Mr. Hollidayoke has essentially lost his home of more than 45 years to foreclosure."

Robert Strupp, Systemic Investigations Manager at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, provided important expert testimony related to the sustainability of the payment option arm mortgages for homeowners similar to Mr. Hollidayoke.  He also provided testimony related to the status of Blonder's affiliated settlement business.  "If any of the other settlement service providers involved in Mr. Holllidayoke's transaction had been truly independent and neutral, these tragic transactions would not have likely occurred because no bono fide real estate professional would allow a vulnerable senior to be preyed upon like Mr. Hollidayoke was in this instance," said Strupp.

"This has been a nightmare for me," said Hollidayoke.  "Hopefully, now I can move forward and get my life back.  I certainly hope no one else ever has to live through what I have lived through."


 

Mission

Civil Justice, Inc is a Maryland non-profit corporation formed for the purpose of increasing the delivery of legal services to clients of low and moderate income while promoting a statewide network of solo, small firm and community based lawyers who share a common commitment to increasing access to justice through traditional and non-traditional means.

The Latest from our Blog

Director of CJ's CAPP Program, Rebecca Coleman, contributes to OSI's Audacious Ideas Blog:  Rebecca Coleman, Director of the Credit Abuse Project (CAPP) and a 2010 Open Society Institute Baltimore County fellow has contributed to the Open Society Institute Audacious Ideas blog.  Her article, entitled "Make Creditors Prove They are Entitled to Collect a Debt" can be viewed here.  Audacious Ideas is a blog that was created to stimulate ideas and discussion about solutions to difficult problems in Baltimore.

CJ Member Peter Holland has published an article titled "The One Hundred Billion Dollar Problem in Small Claims Court: Robo Signing and Lack of Proof in Debt Buyer Cases".:  CJ Member Peter Holland has published an article titled “The One Hundred Billion Dollar Problem in Small Claims Court: Robo-Signing and Lack of Proof in Debt Buyer Cases.”  Below is the abstract.  ABSTRACT Recent years have seen the rise of a new industry which has clogged the dockets of small claims courts throughout the country. It is known as the "debt buyer" industry. Members of this $100 billion per year industry exist for no reason other than to purchase consumer debt which others have already deemed uncollectable, and then try to succeed in collecting where others have failed. Debt buyers pay pennies on the dollar for this charged off debt, and then seek to collect, through hundreds of thousands of lawsuits, the full face value of the debt. The emergence and vitality of this industry presents several legal, ethical and economic issues which merit exploration, study and scholarly debate. This article focuses on the problem of robo-signing and the lack of proof in debt buyer cases. Althou