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.
"I'm going back there," Pines declared, gripping the lectern. "And I hope I get arrested." "I certainly hope not," (Judge) Lane shot back. "That is a blatant disregard of this court's order."
He claims he's done just that a dozen times, antics that have gotten him arrested, fined and threatened with jail for contempt of court.
Pines is getting a lot of press with his antics, in part because he gave similar advice to former Mets star Lenny Dykstra. The Times notes:
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.
While the State Bar wouldn't comment for the article, in my opinion, Pines is not only telling his clients to break the law and exposing them to the risk of arrest, he's taking advantage of vulnerable people, advising them not to pay their mortgages and to use the money to pay him -- at the rate of $650 an hour.
It's all the more disgusting for his protestations that he's a Robin Hood speaking up for the little guy against evil banks. It's his clients, not the banks, he's hurting and charging mightily for the privilege.
