Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Employee Handbooks & Remote Workers
One of the many services that we provide here at Kohl & Cook Law Firm LLC as General Counsel lawyers is to help craft employee handbooks, which are becoming more and more important as more and more workers are working remotely, due to our experience with the COVID pandemic. There is no question that… Read More »
Protecting Veteran Consumer Rights
Sadly, veterans in our country are the subject of consumer rights violations and fraud every year in part due to their potential eligibility to receive federal benefits related to their service. According to the Federal Trade Commission, this collective financial loss amounts to more than $265 million each year. Identity Theft One such scheme… Read More »
Condo & HOA Solar Consumer Rights In Ohio
Many Ohio homeowners who are a part of Homeowners Associations do not realize that there is a Ohio Condominium Act protecting their property rights. While the law has, at times, become outdated, new laws passed in Ohio regularly seek to update it, including laws which, for example, protect consumers’ rights to solar access on… Read More »
Home Improvement Projects, Contractors, & Consumer Rights
We’ve previously discussed the issue of contractors taking advantage of homeowners. Unfortunately, fraud and scam is on the rise when it comes to home improvement projects. Every year, there are thousands of consumer complaints here in Ohio; mostly related to a failure to complete contracted work and deposits, whereby contractors accept deposits and fail… Read More »
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) & Time-Barred Debt: Protecting Yourself
One of the most concerning consumer law issue out there today involves debt collectors threatening to sue and/or suing to collect time-barred debt, including mortgage debt, known as “zombie second mortgages,” whereby homeowners who were operating with the understanding that a mortgage debt was already satisfied via bankruptcy proceedings or otherwise, are contacted by… Read More »
New Options For Mortgage Loan Modifications: Are They Ideal For You?
Starting in May, homeowners interested in mortgage loan modifications have a new lifeline that prevents foreclosure: the 40-year mortgage modification, which allows borrowers to have the term of their mortgage extended to 40 years, where the previous limit for loan modifications was 30 years, thus reducing their monthly payments. It is expected to reduce… Read More »
Identifying And Preventing Predatory Lending As A Homeowner
You as a consumer have laws in place protecting you when it comes to protecting you from predatory lending. Still, it is important to remain vigilant, especially when it comes to mortgage loan modification practices that may or may not be legal. Seeing the Signs Some of the signs of predatory lending can include… Read More »
Illegal Consumer Collection Practices For Discharged Debt
In March, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a bulletin warning consumers that they have specific rights with respect to private student loans that have been discharged in bankruptcy court. As a result, loan servicers returning loans to collections after this discharge constitutes a violation of consumer law, and any consumers who have experienced… Read More »
Combatting HOA Liens & Foreclosures
As attorneys who work in foreclosure defense, including homeowners association (HOA) foreclosure defense, specifically, we have seen our fair share of arguably corrupt HOA boards of directors who engage in unethical behavior, including, at times, misusing homeowner funds. In these instances, it is critical that homeowners are empowered to fight back and take action… Read More »
Consumer Wire Fraud Cases: What You Can Do
Sadly, consumer fraud is on the rise, with Americans reportedly losing close to $9 billion every year to scammers, and imposter scams being the most common among them. These imposter scams involve scammers fraudulently tricking consumers into sending them money by posing as bank employees. They will often call from what appears to be… Read More »