SFL Friday -- (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes!

Bit of a slow day, news-wise, here is what's on my mind today:

1.  Just like a Justin Bieber concert, the Palm Beach Bench & Bar Conference is SOLD OUT:

BENCH BAR CONFERENCE IS SOLD OUT AND WE ARE UNABLE TO ACCOMMODATE ANY WALK-INS

Sorry judges, you'll just have to gate-crash.

2.  The DBR has handed out their firm awards in various categories, congrats to the winners!

3.   Gary Farmer has filed suit against Citizens Property Insurance, let's hope the litigation concludes sometime before the last citrus canker case goes to trial.

4.   Elvis Costello was right!  (sort of).

Court Discovers 15,000 unserved foreclosures

On the cover of today’s Daily Business Review is an article which reports that Miami-Dade chief administrative judge, Jennifer D. Bailey has discovered that there are 15,000 foreclosure cases filed in 2009 in which the lender has not served the defendant homeowner. Service of Process is the act of having a process server or sheriff physically hand deliver a copy of the lawsuit to the Defendant (in foreclosure cases the primary defendant is the homeowner). A plaintiff (in foreclosure cases the lender) has 120 days to serve the Defendant. If the Plaintiff serves the Defendant after 120 days without getting an extension of time, in advance, from the Court, the service of process is invalid and the case is subject to dismissal.

We recommend that if a homeowner is served with a foreclosure complaint the homeowner check the Court docket to determine when the case was filed and check to see if service was completed within 120 days.

Shuster and Saben is a five attorney litigation law firm that defends homeowners in foreclose and seek monetary damages for victims of predatory lending and other mortgage law violations. We are available for free consultation at our offices in Miami and Plantation and have freelance paralegals to meet with homeowners in Lee, Collier, and Brevard county. Homeowners with questions can reach our foreclosure defense department at foreclosuredefenselaw@gmail.com

Comment Contest!

Has anyone else noticed that the DBR is now publishing online comments to their articles in the dead-tree edition?

For example, in today's paper under the "Comments From Web" section there is a stock photo of Judge Zloch next to some fairly lame comments from "Catholic Lawyer" who notes that "Sure, Judge Zloch may be a pain, but to go after him for being a Catholic?"

He also includes this bon mot: "Oh ya...."

Further down the page there is this sterling observation from "Chas" -- "Seems these guys got hosed bad. Being in Florida probably a lot of older people who needed the money go hosed. Sad."

Come on people, we can do better!

In fact, I call on all of you to flood the DBR with comments on their stories, and let's try to get some good/funny/inane/borderline scandalous ones published.

Winner gets a brisket sandwich at Roasters & Toasters, served by my buddy John Pacenti.

(Ok, maybe not the last part.)