Client represented in suit against her former neighbor, real estate agent, and real estate broker
Client(s) Nonprofit legal service organization
For over twenty years, Jones Day has participated in a summer Intake Session at Public Counsel, the largest public interest law firm in the country, and in 2006 we undertook to represent Ms. Yolanda Isaac, who had been a victim of a real estate transaction gone awry; she had lost thousands of dollars and was ultimately evicted from her family home, leaving her and her mentally disabled brother homeless. After years of litigation, Jones Day just recently recovered the final settlement payment on Ms. Isaac's behalf.
One of Jones Day's first actions after taking Ms. Isaac's case was to file a complaint against her neighbor, her real estate broker and the broker's employer, alleging a number of claims for their misconduct. Over the course of the litigation, our legal team successfully defended against multiple attempts to dismiss the case and engaged in extensive discovery, including depositions and third-party subpoenas. On the eve of a court-ordered mediation, a favorable settlement agreement with one of the defendants was negotiated. Then, during the mediation, favorable settlement agreements with the remaining two defendants were executed. In addition to monetary settlement payments, Ms. Isaac was discharged from any liability on a judgment obligation in a related unlawful detainer action.
Overall, Jones Day obtained more than $40,000.00 for Ms. Isaac. In addition to this great client outcome, Jones Day recovered separately an attorneys' fee award when one of the defendants defaulted and the court was asked to enforce the settlement agreement. Jones Day donated this fee award, totaling $13,285.40, to Public Counsel.
"Like thousands of other homeowners, Yolanda Isaac fell victim to a series of deceptive real estate practices, and as a result was deprived of her family home of over 40 years – a home that she used to run a child care business and take care of her mentally disabled brother," recalled Hernan Vera, president and chief executive officer of Public Counsel. "Ms. Isaac came to Public Counsel in 2006, desperate and with nowhere to turn. We knew immediately that this was a case for Jones Day – a firm that for decades has provided the very highest level of pro bono representation to our low-income consumer clients. Jones Day's unqualified, four-year commitment to seeing justice done for Ms. Isaac is a shining example of the incredible difference that lawyers can make in the lives of those caught in the current foreclosure crisis."
