SBLS in the News

SBLS Lawsuit Over MTA Cuts Draws Citywide Attention

Local news outlets have released several reports on South Brooklyn Legal Services’ federal lawsuit filed against the MTA this week in response to service and bus route cuts which SBLS says violate the Americans with Disabilities Acts.

The Post reported on a press conference held by South Brooklyn Legal Services attorneys in front of Brooklyn Borough Hall:

“The suit demands that the transit agency undo at least 13 of the bus and Access-A-Ride service reductions made in June.

[...]

‘Because people with mobility impairments rely on buses, they’re stranded by the [reduction] of interborough bus lines,’ said Jennifer Levy, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs. ‘And Access-A-Ride is inadequate for a variety of reasons.’”

Read about the lawsuit in stories posted at: WNYC, the New York Post, and the Brooklyn Eagle.

(Group Representation)

SBLS Attorney Criticizes Mega-Landlord in City Limits Article

South Brooklyn Legal Services Director of Litigation Ed Josephson was interviewed for a recent City Limits article about a class-action lawsuit against the Pinnacle Group, a massive landlord that owns dozens of buildings across in New York. They’ve been accused of using various tactics, including increasing rents on rent-controlled apartments, to edge tenants out of apartments and then increase prices.

“These hedge-fund backed landlords that acquired huge numbers of subprime apartments gambled on their ability to raise rents and evict low-income tenants,” Josephson told City Limits. “Either the gamble pays off and they displace tenants or they don’t succeed and their business model collapses.”

Read the full story at City Limits magazine.

(Housing)

SBLS Attorney Johnson Tyler Featured Prominently in City Limits Article Discussing Criminal Charges for Fraudulent Proces Servers

A recent article by City Limits magazine on the changing situation of process servers frequently engaged in sewer service, who by failing to serve consumers with debt collection papers have caused immense financial anguish for Brooklynites and city residents.

Johnson Tyler, director of the South Brooklyn Legal Services Consumer Unit, was interviewed by City Limits for a perspective on the difficulties of pursuing criminal charges for debt collectors and process servers engaged in “sewer service.”

“I’m pretty convinced that you could have the whole freshman class at Pace Law School, Brooklyn Law School and NYU Law School trying to catch process servers in fraud and everyone would come out saying, ‘Wow that was a frustrating experience,’ “ Tyler said.

Read the full story at City Limits magazine.

(Consumer)

"American Modification Agency" Scam Declared 'Illegal' By Manhattan Judge After SBLS Suit

The Long Island-based American Modification Agency (AMA or Amerimod) that was sued by South Brooklyn Legal Services has been found by a judge to have engaged in fraudulent, deceptive and illegal business practices by promising to save clients’ homes in exchange for hefty upfront fees and then often doing little or nothing in return.

The ruling by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Emily Jane Goodman stems from a suit filed last year by state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in response to cases such as that of a Queens couple represented by South Brooklyn Legal Services, a program of Legal Services NYC.

The plight of the SBLS clients who’s case in part led the Attorney General’s Office to pursue a criminal prosecution of AMA is detailed by an April 13 Crain’s New York article:

“The decision, which came down last week and was announced by Mr. Cuomo on Tuesday, found that Amerimod made numerous false claims in its advertisements, including misrepresenting the number of homes it had saved. The judge also ruled that Amerimod falsely claimed to have a 90% to 100% success rate, to be licensed by a government agency and to be affiliated with ‘legal experts.’ [...]

Aoah and Equintal Middleton of St. Albans, Queens paid AMA $1,990 in December 2007, but instead of getting a lower mortgage payment, they got a foreclosure notice. They are still awaiting a modification.

‘Judge Goodman’s ruling and injunction will ensure that vulnerable homeowners will be protected from AMA’s fraudulent business practices,’ said Ms. Middleton’s attorney, Cyrus Dugger, of South Brooklyn Legal Services. ‘In addition, it serves as a warning to the countless other New York “distressed property consultants” who continue to target New York homeowners.’”

The case was referred to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for a criminal investigation, according to Crain’s.

(Foreclosure Prevention)

SBLS Attorney Quoted in Daily News Piece on Debt-Settlement Scams

A recent article on Sen. Chuck Schumer’s attempt to crack down on debt-settlement scams in the Daily News featured an interview with attorney Matt Crawford, a deferred associate with South Brooklyn Legal Services.

“Consumer credit actions are just an epidemic in Brooklyn,” said South Brooklyn Legal Services Attorney Matt Crawford.

The piece focused on a bill Schumer is supporting that “would limit the firms’ fees, force them to disclose more information and give federal and local law enforcers more authority to pursue scam artists.”

To read more at the Daily News, click here.

(Consumer)

Residents of Bushwick Houses Fear Section 8 Cuts, Says SBLS Attorney

South Brooklyn Legal Services Director of Litigation Ed Josephson was interviewed for a recent story about the impact of potential Section 8 cuts on residents of a Brooklyn housing project.

“‘For a time, things seemed good,’ said Dolores Byrd, a retiree who has lived at Bushwick Houses for 27 years, and who made $45 yesterday collecting completed census packets. Still, like many of the thousands who call the project home, Byrd’s good week ended abruptly on Wednesday when the city announced it may have to revoke housing assistance vouchers from more than 10,000 New Yorkers. The New York Housing Authority (NYCHA), faced with a $45 million deficit, may have no choice but to cut off the housing voucher program, known as Section 8, even though it may result in many thousands of people being unable to pay their rent and perhaps ending up homeless.

[...]

One of the public advocates working in Brooklyn’s housing courts sees NYCHA’s announcement as short-sighted, partly because of the added pressure this could put on the city’s homeless shelters.

‘By definition, people with Section 8 vouchers can’t afford the rent,’ said Ed Josephson, director of litigation at South Brooklyn Legal Services. ‘Needless to say these people will end up in the shelter system.’”

Read the full story at The Brooklyn Ink.

(Housing)