It is undoubtedly a difficult time for many homeowners throughout Florida and the rest of the country. It is not uncommon for a family to fall behind on their home payments – no matter how hard that reality is for the homeowners to bear.
One such Orlando homeowner wound up having to manage more than the stress of missed payments. His home wasn’t even in foreclosure yet, but his lender reportedly used his financial hardship as a reason to break into his home and destroy his property.
According to news reports, the young man and his wife returned home to find that someone had broken into their home and utterly wrecked and tossed out their belongings, some of them sentimentally precious. The husband says his wife had to dig through a dumpster to find her wedding gown, which had been shredded by the home intruders.
The out-of-state mortgage lender hired a Florida company to enter the victims’ home and remove their property. In some, rare cases, such tactics are considered legal – but not this case, according to the couple’s attorney. The home wasn’t even in the foreclosure process, giving the company no rights to break in and touch any belongings.
Those points make the fact that the Orlando Sheriff’s Office has no intention of going after the lender or the private company shocking to the couple and their attorney. According to him, the company should be charged with burglary, breaking and entering and trespassing.
The victims want to get their stuff back, but their only hope of getting close to what is owed to them is for them to file a civil suit, that is unless the city changes its mind about criminal charges.
Source
Miami New Times (blog): “Florida Man Falls Behind On Mortgage, So Lender Shreds His Wife’s Wedding Gown, Trashes Home,” 1 Jul. 2011