Criminal Law

• Fraud
  Protecting Workers and Consumers from Corporate Abuse " Public Interest Program (2014), serving as a panel member at the National Consumer Law Center Conference on Predatory Mortgage Cases: Settlement and Trial Issues (2004), serving as a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association Ad Hoc Committee on Consumer Protection Law (2002), serving as a presenter at the New Jersey State Bar Foundation Seminar on Consumer Fraud (2002, 2003), serving as a Member of the Supreme Court District Ethics Committee (1997), and testifying as a witness before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking with regard to proposed amendments to the federal Truth in Lending Act (1995).

Finance Law

• Foreclosure
  “On August 29, 2011, the New Jersey Supreme Court issued an opinion in Gonzalez v. Wilshire Credit Corp., 207 N.J. 557... (2011) [Houston & Totaro, Attorneys for Plaintiff] that all New Jersey mortgage lenders should read. In sum, the Court held that the consumer friendly New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act (“CFA”), N.J.S.A. 56:8-1 to -195, applies to mortgage loans and to, more specifically, a lender’s activities post foreclosure-judgment, including entering into a forbearance agreement to avoid a sheriff’s sale. This ruling is detrimental for lenders because, among other reasons, a successful plaintiff on CFA claim is entitled to recover treble damages as well as their attorneys’ fees and costs of suit. Additionally, because of these consumer-friendly provisions, more competent plaintiffs’ counsel will be drawn to cases involving allegations by mortgagors of unconscionable practices in connection with mortgage lending.”