Shelly Clements vs JPMorgan Chase -- $22.1 million settlement for unfair mortgage servicing practices
This class action involved a lender's right to purchase property insurance for borrowers who failed to obtain or renew their own insurance policies. This is called "forced-placed" or "lender-placed" insurance. At the time, lenders were charging their borrowers for very expensive "lender-placed" insurance policies that involved kick-backs or other benefits for the lenders.
Joseph Ruwe vs Verizon Wireless -- $10 million settlement for unlawful late fees
Charging exorbitant late fees or penalties can be illegal in California. This class action involved the late fees and reactivation fees that Verizon Wireless charged its consumer customers. Filed in November of 2007, the case was at the class certification stage when it was referred to the Federal Communications Commission (the FCC) for "review" and was stuck there for years before it settled. This type of case could not be filed now due to forced arbitration provisions.
Angela Bates vs KB Homes -- $7.1 million settlement against real estate developer for unfair business practices
The class-action lawsuit settled for $7.1 million just a few days before it was set to go to trial in the Alameda County Superior Court. It was brought under a California law that prohibits real estate developers from requiring their customers to use their captive escrow companies and California's Unfair Competition Law. It alleged that KB Home required its California customers to pay an unauthorized and unnecessary $275 fee for “contract coordination” to a subsidiary it set up for that purpose. The settlement requires KB Home to pay back all the fees it collected, plus attorney fees. It should be enough to refund the $275 back to every class member who can be found, and also pay $50 to those class members who did not pay fee. Most class members will get their checks in the mail without further action.
Marie Gaudin vs Saxon Mortgage Servicing -- $4.5 million settlement against mortgage servicer
This class action involved alleged loan modification agreements between Saxon Mortgage Servicing (a Morgan Stanley subsidiary at the time) and its residential mortgage customers. More information about the settlement can be found at saxonmortgagehampclassaction.com.
Amira Jackmon vs Wells Fargo Bank -- $4 million settlement for wrongful foreclosures and class action
Northern District of California Case No. 11-3884-VC.
This case involved allegations of deceptive loan modification practices, breach of contract, and wrongful foreclosure against Wells Fargo Mortgage. After about 7 years of litigation Ms. Jackmon got title to her house back--she was never moved out--and a very attractive loan modification. Her case was consolidated with Phillip Corvello vs Wells Fargo Bank ( Northern District of California Case No. 10-5072 VC) and granted partial class certification in 2016. The class action settled for $750,000 plus attorney fees. Phillip Corvello's individual case also settled. The overall value of the settlements is about $4 million. More information about the settlements can be found at www.Corvello-JackmonHampClassAction.com.
Glenn Pacheco vs JPMorgan Chase -- $1.5 million settlement for unlawful mortgage debt collections
Northern District of California Case No. 15-cv-05689-JD.
This class action involved California's mortgage anti-deficiency protections. In this case, we alleged that Chase could not collect on second mortgage debt where it had foreclosed on the first mortgage. Chase agreed to stop collections and repay all the money it had collected from the class members plus additional money for attorney fees. More information about the settlement can be found at www.pachecoclassactionsettlement.com.
Gustavo Reyes vs Wells Fargo Bank -- $1 million settlement against bank for unfair debt collection practices
This class action lawsuit involved offer letter agreements that Wells Fargo Mortgage sent to distressed mortgage customers. They seemed to promise to modify the mortgage to an affordable level, but Wells Fargo failed to follow through on a permanent modification. The case alleged that Wells Fargo's description of the offer was deceptive and Wells Fargo's conduct constituted unlawful debt collections practices.
David Keck vs Bank of America -- $1 million settlement for illegal telemarketing practices
This class action case involved a credit insurance product that Bank of America sold to its customers through third party telemarketers. We alleged that their policies and practices resulted in unauthorized charges on its customers' credit card accounts.
David Franklin vs Villas Parkmerced -- Confidential settlement against corporate landlord for rent control violations
This class action lawsuit involved the Parkmerced apartment complex on behalf of a class of hundreds of past and present tenants. The owner developed a practice of using "bonus bucks" rent concessions that circumvented San Francisco's Rent Control ordinance. Under the terms of the settlement, class counsel are not permitted to publicize the dollar amount of the settlement payment.
UFC/USADA vs Josh Barnett -- Victory For MMA Champ Josh Barnett Against UFC-USADA Anti-Doping Claims
Peter Fredman successfully represented mixed martial arts fighter Josh Barnett in an arbitration against Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). In an award issued March 23, 2018, the Arbitrator Richard H. McLaren, who was featured in the documentary Icarus, ruled that Barnett “is not a drug cheat. He unknowingly ingested a Contaminated Product. …he did not actively engage in attempting, in any way, to engage in the use of the Prohibited Substance.” Whereas USADA had sought, among other things, a four year period of ineligibility, we were able to prove that Barnett was the victim of a contaminated supplement, and was minimally at fault at most, so the arbitrator imposed the minimal possible penalty, which is a reprimand.