Avoiding used car scams on eBay and Craigslist

So, I’m looking for a late-model Mini Cooper Clubman (it has a larger back seat and a half-decent cargo space). They’re expensive. On Craigslist, most of the listings are from dealers and they run from $17K to $22K. There’s very little in Santa Rosa or Petaluma or Sebastopol; they’re mostly in the East [...]

Frustrated California foreclosure lawyer tells clients to squat

Wow — we’ve all been frustrated by being unable to stop an eviction after foreclosure. But foreclosure defense lawyer Michael Pines is taking his frustration to a whole new level. the L.A. Times reports that after a Ventura County judge ordered his clients evicted, Pines responded he would hire a locksmith and break in.

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A proposal to save Santa Rosa homes – without a cramdown

By Richard Koman, Sonoma County-Santa Rosa-Petaluma bankruptcy and debtor attorney (“We are a debt relief agency”) Back in 2009, Congress considered trying to save homes by changing the bankruptcy laws to allow judges to “cram down” homeowners’ principal balance on their primary residence. Great idea, which passed the House but died in the Senate.

America [...]

Protecting your attorney-client privilege: Don’t send email at work

A California court of appeals has ruled that a worker cannot asset the attorney-client privilege for emails she sent from work when the employer stated in an employee manual that work emails were not private, Wired reports.

… [T]he e-mails sent via company computer under the circumstances of this case were akin to [...]

A downtown courthouse would transform Santa Rosa

The Soviet-style hulk called the Hall of Justice I’m quoted in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat today. Just when it seemed a new courthouse in downtown Santa Rosa was a dead idea, Santa Rosa City Manager Kathy Millison has revived talk of a downtown location.

“For us, it’s a long shot, but I really [...]

Lies, lies, lies – debtor loses discharge for misrepresenting art value

Sonoma County and North Bay folks — indeed, everyone – considering bankruptcy might take a moment to consider what happened to one debtor who lied on his petition. Sydney Peters was an art dealer who lied on his Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition. As personal property, he listed “art” and said he had about sixteen [...]

Sonoma County business in trouble? Consider an ABC

When your small business can no longer hack it and it’s time to close up shop, there is an alternative to bankruptcy. Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors is a way for certain companies to quickly and quietly dissolve without submitting to the control of the bankruptcy court, as the LA Times explains in this [...]