Hat tip to daytrip for sending in this update from the latimes.com – an excerpt:
“I’m going back there,” Pines declared, gripping the lectern. “And I hope I get arrested.” “I certainly hope not,” Lane shot back. “That is a blatant disregard of this court’s order.”
With Pines, the threat at the October hearing couldn’t be written off as courtroom theatrics. The 58-year-old attorney admits to breaking into homes at least half a dozen times, leaving the clients to squat in their homes while he defends their legal right to possession. His unconventional methods have gotten him fined by a judge in San Diego, arrested in Newport Beach and threatened with contempt — and jail — in Ventura.
More foreclosure cases are headed for court, housing experts and legal analysts say, as troubled homeowners run out of options and lenders pick up the pace of evictions. But they also note that people who want to stay in their homes have limited options in states such as California, where a lender can seize a house without a court order. That has prompted Pines to pursue some radical tactics and might cause others to imitate him — if he ever manages to win.
“Homeowners have the right to seek relief in court,” said Boston lawyer Gary Klein, who has sued several banks over lending practices, but Pines’ break-in strategy “ups the ante considerably.”
Ventura lawyer Doug Michie said, “Most attorneys won’t admit it, but they admire his convictions.”
“I certainly don’t have the courage to do what he’s doing,” Michie said. “I’m afraid of getting arrested.”
Pines’ methods are provoking plenty of criticism.
“This attorney violates the canons of professional ethics in advising clients to break the law,” said George Lefcoe, a USC real estate law professor. “What [his clients] are doing on his advice is not only going to prove costly to them and completely futile, it could lead to dangerous altercations with the true owners and law enforcement officers.”
A spokeswoman for the State Bar of California declined to comment when asked whether it was looking into Pines’ actions, citing its policy of neither confirming nor denying pending investigations.
Pines has yet to wrest a house back. His most high-profile client, baseball legend Lenny Dykstra, took Pines’ advice last July to move back into his foreclosed Thousand Oaks mansion against a bankruptcy judge’s orders. That move, followed by a victory party at the estate, brought an order barring the former outfielder from the property. Dykstra fired Pines after one month and lost the house in a foreclosure sale in November.
Pines, who has been a lawyer for more than 30 years, said his path to foreclosure activism grew from his own troubles.
Several years ago, the Pennsylvania native abandoned his legal career to become a real estate broker specializing in distressed properties. Pines contends that he became a victim of mortgage rip-offs and the housing market crash, which led him to investigate what he describes as unethical lending practices. Pines said he was inspired by the tales that he heard to take on clients again in 2010.
Pines has at least six properties in foreclosure, owes banks more than $2 million and has filed for bankruptcy protection. The trustee is trying to sell Pines’ law offices in Encinitas, Calif., because the attorney hasn’t made loan payments in more than a year.
“I filed bankruptcy myself because I stopped paying,” Pines said. “I followed my own advice. I said,“I’m not going to let the banks steal from me.”
Jim, there is overwhelming evidence of widespread fraud and perjury by the servicers and foreclosure mills and I can understand why people are outraged,pines among them. However, his response is both irrational and dangerous,I hope no one gets hurt and I further hope pines gets a psych evaluation. I hope people won’t consider that statement an Ad hominem attack, it simply seems to me that his approach lacks any legal basis and is very likely to result in highly emotional confrontations.
Nobody is being foreclosed upon that is making their payments! You don’t deserve to be in the house unless you make the friggen payments.
I’m appalled at how the media and society have totally shifted blame throughout this crises OFF the individuals and onto banks, etc… How about growing a brain and not signing up for the $5,000/mo payment when you make $4,000/mo??? I didn’t sign up for the $5,000 payment in 2005 and I know a lot of other people that could have but didn’t b/c they have math skills and a little personal financial responsibility. But there is no rewards for the financially responsible in this country. There only handouts like fat loan mods, principle reductions and allowing 3 yrs of squatting in your house w/out making payments for people who have zero personal financial responsibility.
I especially have ZERO pity for people who did cash out refis and are getting booted out of their homes. This is how far this county has fallen…you take $300k out of your house, don’t make the payments, and you actually expect to stay in your friggen house???
You don’t make the payments you signed up for, get out of the house. There are plenty of nice rentals. The lender will even give you cash for keys. As they say in New York City, “Boot ‘Da Bums!”
I think Pines is egged on by all the media accounts. He may be the ultimate troll.
If the press would start ignoring his antics and press releases, he would probably just go away.
Here’s my take on how some of those financially responsible people could be rewarded for doing the right thing! I can sympathize with Numbers Guy. At the peak, we could have pulled 100s of 1000s out of the house we just sold. We did not! Didn’t want the payments and knew the bubble would burst in an unsustainable up market. We haven’t been bailed out like many “homeowners” and banks. So one way I see to reward us fiscally responsible people is to release the REOs, and sell them cheap to someone (like me 🙂 ) who won’t sign a loan doc for something we can’t afford and has proven time and again to ALWAYS make payments. OK, Polly Anna glasses are now off again and that sucking sound you hear is reality flowing back in.
— Poe (not Edgar Allen)
Since Shadash has not yet commented–“DEADBEAT OF ALL DEADBEATS!”
Heh…he “abandoned” his legal career because he saw a big pot of easy money that also happened to come with cameras and publicity. Who can resist that?
Oh, people with ethics. Never mind.
Isn’t the first rule of being a lawyer that you work for people that pay for your efforts. My guess is deadbeats that don’t pay their mortgage also don’t plan on paying legal expenses.
Numbers Guy said “Nobody is being foreclosed upon that is making their payments!” Actually, some are (according to many newspaper accounts).
That’s a good point, shadash.
Follow the money. It works every time!
reminds me of one of Crash Test Dummies new songs, which I heard first live down at the Belly Up in Solana Beach.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRoK_j_1R_4
http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858833268/
“I don’t know if you’ve been told
If this old place is bought or sold
But I’m here now and now its mine
It’s not much but it suits me fine
Call me thief or call me bum
It’s squatter’s rights where I come from
Don’t show your face don’t dark my door
Or you’ll find out what I’m famous for”