WaMu sued over home appraisals - law firm

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A law firm said on Monday it had filed an investor lawsuit against Washington Mutual Inc, alleging it pressured a unit of First American Corp to inflate the appraisal value of homes.

The lawsuit comes after New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo sued First American and its unit eAppraiseIT last week for allegedly colluding with Washington Mutual to inflate the appraisal values of homes. Cuomo did not name Washington Mutual as a defendant in his case.

The latest suit, which seeks to represent investors who bought Washington Mutual shares between July 19, 2006 and Oct. 31, 2007, also names certain officers and directors of the largest U.S. savings and loan, the law firm, Wolf Popper LLP, said in a statement.

Washington Mutual spokeswoman Libby Hutchinson said the company doesn't comment on the specifics of litigation.

But she added, "The integrity of our appraisal process is very important to us, and we work hard to make sure that it operates properly."

The suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in New York, alleges claims for securities fraud, the law firm said.

The complaint alleges that inflated appraisals led to Washington Mutual's financial results to be misstated, it said.

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Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC

A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party

Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party

However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.

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New York & New Jersey Family Law Matters We represent our clients in all types of proceedings that include termination of parental rights. >> read