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| (banbalch.com) |
We have a new reason to wonder about the kooky moral compass that seems to drive Birmingham's Balch & Bingham law firm. It involves an eviction that took place while a federal moratorium on evictions was in place. Does that suggest Balch & Bingham is such a "big-hearted" firm that it throws people out of their homes, even when it's contrary to a federal mandate? The answer appears to be yes, according to a report at banbalch.com. Writes Publisher K.B. Forbes under the headline "Inhumane! Balch Evicts Habitat for Humanity Resident at Height of Pandemic":
Could Balch’s Mississippi Rental Assistance Debacle get any uglier?
In September of 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and months away from the FDA approval of the first vaccine, Balch & Bingham attorneys in Mississippi evicted a resident from a Habitat for Humanity home.
Even though a federal eviction moratorium was in place, Balch attorneys apparently tossed the alleged senior citizen out of the home!
Called “The Pimps of Mississippi,” Balch, the evictor and collector, received millions in contractual cronyism to allegedly distribute federal rental assistance funds and to manage another federal program to prevent foreclosures, according to a September exposé by The Washington Post.
Mississippi residents in need received practically nothing in assistance. The government-made millionaires at Balch had only distributed a mere 11 percent of $186 million in federal assistance, according to the Post.
How bad is it? Bad enough that Forbes and his nonprofit, Consejo de Latinos Unidos (CDLU), intend to take action:
We, the CDLU, have reviewed court cases in the 82 counties of Mississippi since the start of the pandemic in March of 2020 and the results against Balch & Bingham appear to be painfully damaging and embarrassing. The findings are being provided to multiple federal and congressional investigators.
In June of 2020, as most Americans were locked down in their homes, Balch dispatched a letter to the resident of a home in Mississippi demanding that he vacate and notifying him that he would be evicted.
The man, according to court records, took possession of the home in January of 2020. However, he never signed a lease/purchase agreement. Six months later, at the height of the lockdown, Balch began eviction proceedings.
In September of 2020, Balch filed for and obtained a warrant against the alleged senior citizen even though a federal moratorium was in place.
Like most readers and investigators who have seen the hard evidence, we are in utter disbelief.
The embattled law firm has been involved in so many alleged unsavory and criminal schemes, there are no words to describe this latest revolting act.
This sounds like a possible crime to me.
ReplyDeleteMe, too. Trying to do some research on that. If you conduct an eviction during a federal eviction moratorium, is that a federal crime?
ReplyDeleteAt the very least, the person evicted should have a stout civil case.
ReplyDeleteThe banbalch.com post includes a copy of the notice to vacate, signed by a Balch attorney named P. Ann Bailey. Pretty heartless stuff, but I'm not sure we would expect anything less from Balch & Bingham. Here is the URL, and our post has a direct link in the first paragraph:
ReplyDeletehttps://banbalch.com/2021/11/01/inhumane/
I thought Balch was supposed to be helping people in Mississippi avoid evictions.
ReplyDeleteYes, and the firm is being paid big bucks, from the feds, to do that. What Balch says and what Balch does can be two very different things, it seems.
ReplyDeleteThis is from our recent post about Balch's supposed role in PREVENTING evictions in Mississippi:
ReplyDeleteBalch, which has historic ties to segregation and white supremacy, now is involved with -- of all things -- a COVID-19 relief fund totaling $200 million. But an NBC News investigative report last week raises questions about where all that money is going and how it is being distributed. The funds are designed to help prevent pandemic-related evictions, but it's not clear that is what's happening. Writes Ban Balch Publisher K.B. Forbes, under the headline,"Balch and the Mississippi Rental Assistance Flop":
Mississippi and its two largest counties received $200 million in federal Covid-19 relief funds to cover back rent, with the aim of preventing evictions, according to NBC News.
“But the vast majority of that money has not been spent, and there are large disparities in who is receiving help, and how quickly they’re getting it, according to a review of the latest program data and interviews with experts and advocates, ” NBC News wrote.
NBC News published the exposé last week with a glaring headline. Here is that headline: "Mississippi received millions in rent aid. But many struggling tenants are still waiting: There are large disparities in who is receiving help, and how quickly they’re getting it."
https://legalschnauzer.blogspot.com/search?q=balch+and+mississippi
From another previous post on Balch and evictions:
ReplyDeleteA number of unflattering adjectives -- "criminal" and "racist" are two that readily come to mind -- pop up in reporting about actions of the Balch & Bingham law firm since the North Birmingham Superfund bribery scandal broke. Now, it looks like we need to add a new adjective -- "hypocritical."
Why that word? It grows from recent reports about Balch's role in distributing $200-million in COVID-19 relief funds to help Mississippi residents avoid evictions. This from a law firm that touts its ability to help landlords execute on evictions and to help lenders collect on debts. In other words, Balch specializes in the kind of law that Mississippians, under the stress of possibly losing their homes, absolutely do NOT need. Here is more from banbalch.com, featuring a headline for the ages, "Pimps of Mississippi: Balch, the Evictor and Collector, Now Processing Housing Assistance." Writes Publisher K.B. Forbes:
Undoubtedly an absolute conflict of interest.
On their website, Balch & Bingham boasts, “Commercial landlords look to Balch for representation in evicting tenants and collecting unpaid rent.”
Balch also relishes their collection efforts, writing, “Balch is knowledgeable and experienced in locating assets and using garnishments, sheriff/marshal sales, and other collection tactics to turn a judgment into cash.”
As we reported yesterday, the Mississippi Housing Corporation has “outsourced” the processing of housing assistance to the the evictor and collector extraordinaire, Balch & Bingham, an alleged racist law firm.
https://legalschnauzer.blogspot.com/2021/07/do-balch-binghams-pimps-of-mississippi.html
More from our previous post:
ReplyDeleteIs it likely that quite a few of those who need help in Mississippi are people of color? I would say yes, which adds to the Balch hypocrisy. Writes Forbes:
Balch’s once esteemed ex-partner Joel I. Gilbert was convicted of bribery and money laundering in 2018 in a scheme to suppress poor African-Americans In North Birmingham from having their toxic property tested by the EPA. Balch has refused to apologize to the African-American community.
The housing assistance program in Mississippi has been plagued with delays and little payouts, according to NBC News.
The Rental Assistance for Mississippians Program (RAMP) is being administered by the Mississippi Home Corporation for the State of Mississippi, which received $186,696,633.80 in federal funds.
These funds were provided by the U.S. Department of Treasury through the CARES Act.
Do you see a pattern here? If the federal government seeks to help poor people, especially those of color, Balch is likely to perform unethically, incompetently -- or both. But if a creditor or landlord wants your money or your home, they can count on Balch to get the job done.
Has Balch stepped in a steaming cow pile?
ReplyDeleteForbes adds perspective suggesting Balch might have stepped in doo-doo with the feds:
Two questions come to mind:
Is Balch truly qualified to be processing housing assistance, or was this a “no-bid” contract handed off to political cronies?
Have any of Balch’s clients and commercial landlords been given preferential treatment?
Thankfully the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Treasury Department can investigate and by law “is assigned responsibility to conduct monitoring and oversight of the receipt, disbursement, and uses of Coronavirus Relief Fund payments.”
The pimps of Mississippi may control the state politicians in the Magnolia State, as they do the political prostitutes of Alabama, but now that federal funds are involved, an independent, federal forensic audit is possible and could be obligatory as controversy escalates.
How do you get evicted from a Habitat for Humanity house? I didn't think that could happen. Hope this doesn't become a PR problem for Habitat because they do a lot of great work.
ReplyDelete