It's Finally Over... And Then It's Not?!

[LouieAtienza]

So after two very long years, about ten 20-yard containers, $7000 in laborer work, and 100 weekends of sweat equity, I finally closed on our family home last Tuesday. This has been one of the biggest reasons for my absences here on the Forum, and has pushed back a few of my current builds. Getting that monkey off my back has been sweet, though I'm still recovering from a three-week marathon of all work and no sleep.

I still haven't set up some of my stationary tools. My CNC will be at my friend's metal shop, and my thickness planer at a friend's basement shop.

My dilemma stems from an old case of identity-theft involving my sister from a few years ago. Someone worked out-of-state, using her SS number, and racked up over $70k in taxes. The IRS threatened to garnish her wages. She found a tax attorney online, and got the IRS to remove the wage garnishment, yet the debt remained. This of course popped up during the title search, and they attached this debt to the estate, even though she is not named in the estate (I am the administrator.) Numerous attempts were made to reach the firm that handled her case, to no avail. Even calls to the BBB and attorney general in the firm's state yielded nothing. The title company is holding double the debt, plus interest. Which conveniently is what is left after paying all the bills and taxes. (I laughed as I received a check for $6.13 at the closing.) I suggested my sister retain another attorney and forget the previous one, as time is crucial. Anyone been through this before?

[fazool]

Many, many years ago I caused a minor car accident but my insurance agent "disappeared" and I later learned they didn't send the money to Fireman's Fund and actually insure me.

I lost my license and my registration during my senior year of college, while working an internship and had a judgment against me. I sued and won and had everything cleared.

Well, except buying a home remained difficult and for the next ten years I had trouble buying two homes because this false judgment showed up. My wife and I were at the final signing downtown after designing and building our second home and we were told the bank rescinded our financing because of this judgment. I ran around downtown (on foot while they waited) getting court records to show it was cleared but this was a nightmare.

[Truckjohn]

Your/her best course of action is to find a good local attorney who has a reputation as a "bulldog".

Internet stuff can be very dicey - as you found out, you have no idea what the "settlement" was.... Sounds like there wasn't one - and she may have agreed through the "attorney" to plead no contest/fully responsible if they dropped the fees and fines.

Unfortunately - it's her responsibility to sort it out.... The attorney won't pay any consequences for their incompetence or ill will.