Story of Justice: Carol*

Carol and her late husband purchased a lovely home together. Like many seniors, Carol’s husband passed away before they formalized plans regarding their assets. This left Carol with a problem that had never crossed her mind. The late husband took out a reverse mortgage loan on the property, whereby Carol’s name was removed from the deed. After his death, the reverse mortgage company filed a complaint for foreclosure against the home. Afraid she would lose her humble abode, Carol contacted CCLA for legal assistance after being served with foreclosure documents.

CCLA referred Carol to the Broward Lawyers Care (BLC) Pro Bono Project in order to obtain a pro bono probate attorney to assist her with getting the deed back into her name. The pro bono attorney responded to extensive discovery submitted by the reverse mortgage company, including numerous Requests for Admissions, Interrogatories and Requests for Production. The pro bono attorney didn’t stop there. He attended mediation with Carol and corresponded extensively with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to reach a settlement to prevent the foreclosure sale of Carol’s home. Furthermore, the reverse mortgage lender agreed to treat Carol as a borrower under the mortgage contract. As part of the settlement, Carol was only required to pay any unpaid property taxes and insurance. CCLA assisted Carol with applying and qualifying for a state grant program that repaid all the delinquent housing expenses on her behalf. In the end, CCLA saved Carol’s home from foreclosure which has allowed her to remain in the home that she shared for many years with her late husband.

*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of our clients.