Inside Counsel
June.27.2014
Elizabeth Howard, an intellectual property partner in Orrick’s Silicon Valley office, is quoted in an Inside Counsel article about a nearly $1 million default judgment that the firm obtained for its pro bono clients in a California lawsuit alleging loan modification fraud. The judge also agreed to allow the case to proceed as a class action.
“We are delighted with the prospect that we may soon be able to bring some relief to our clients,” Ms. Howard said. “We are looking forward to our day in court to prove our case of fraud against the rest of the defendants.”
The suit alleges that hundreds of low-income, mainly Spanish-speaking homeowners in California paid upfront fees for loan modification services that were never provided, and that the defendants then refused to refund these fees to those homeowners who were unable to obtain loan modifications, as defendants had promised.