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Katrina Clinic attorney Davida Finger testified before the Louisiana Recovery Authority's Housing Task Force yesterday about serious problems in the Road Home program's appellate process. Here is an excerpt from today's Times-Picayune:
Another problem, according to testimony by Davida Finger, a lawyer who represents dozens of Road Home applicants through the Loyola University Law Clinic, is that applicants often complain about some part of the grant calculation and are never put into ICF's resolution process, and, if they are, the company may decide their dispute is resolved without ever informing them.
One of Finger's clients, Gary Schwartz of Chalmette, disputed the prestorm value of his home used in the award letter he got on Dec. 2, 2006. The Road Home had used automated valuation methods to come up with a home value of $124,000. Schwartz paid $325 for a certified Louisiana appraiser to inspect his home in person, which yielded an appraisal of $163,000. He sent that in on May 11, only to find out the Road Home couldn't accept it because it was more than 20 percent higher than their computerized estimates.
The complete article is available here.
Posted 09/26/2007 by jmitchell
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The attorneys and students of the Katrina Clinic have prepared a series of packets to assist you with common Katrina-related legal questions. These packets are for informational purposes only and are not legal advice, so if you have more questions contact the Katrina Clinic for more assistance. You can download the packets below.The following packets are available:
- What to do about contractor fraud
- What to do if FEMA has stopped your rental assistance
- What to do if FEMA is asking for its money back
- What to do if FEMA is doing both
Posted 09/23/2007 by jmitchell
The deadline to file suit on Katrina related homeowner's insurance claims was August 30, 2007, and for Rita related claims, the deadline is September 30, 2007. This means that if you have not filed suit by these dates, your insurance companies will have essentially no incentive to negotiate your claims with you any further. IT IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED THAT YOU GET AN ATTORNEY ASAP TO REPRESENT YOU. If you cannot find one, posted here is a packet that will provide you with information on (1) how to help you settle with your insurance company by taking advantage of Louisiana's free insurance mediation program; (2) instructions and a pro se petition that you can file in court, on your own, by the deadline in order to preserve your claim; and (3) information on available legal resources.
This contents of this site and the posted information packets are not to be considered legal advice. For legal advice on these or any other matters, please consult an attorney.
Posted 09/23/2007 by beblack