Foreclosure-Mocking Law Firm Apologizes For Inappropriate Halloween Party

[Lunabelle]

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The head of a foreclosure law firm whose employees mocked victims of the mortgage crisis at a Halloween party last year apologized Wednesday to an outraged advocate for the homeless who said the firm showed "a disgusting lack of sensitivity."

Pictures from the Steven J. Baum law firm's 2010 Halloween party turned up last week in The New York Times, which said it received them from an unidentified former employee.

The pictures show people dressed to look homeless and a sign reading "Baum Estates" near part of the office decorated to resemble a row of foreclosed homes. Another picture features a tattered green tarp over what appears to be a hovel for the homeless.

The Baum law firm in suburban Buffalo is one of the largest-volume mortgage foreclosure firms in New York. Last year, it handled nearly 40 percent of the 46,572 foreclosure actions brought in New York courts, the New York Law Journal reported in February.

[BlueIris]

1. So this is what they say about us when they think we're not watching.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

2. I wonder who applied the heat. Their initial reaction was to blame the NYT.

I figured their clients, the big banks, would have a word with them for bring heat down on the whole operation..... wow I feel like I'm typing a synopsis of The Sopranos. Gotta get rid of the guys causing heat for the family.

[ixion]

7. The photos went viral.

Scum never does well in the sunlight, don'cha know.

[fascisthunter]

3. May You Live as a Homeless Person

you all deserve it.

[JVS]

4. Fuck them and their apology.

[Rabblevox]

8. +1000

[Safetykitten]

13. +a billion.

[Fire Walk With Me]

15. And again!

[Kaleko]

5. At first, Steven Baum denied it ever happened.

Professional liars.

Their apology means, "We're sorry we got caught celebrating how much misery we've wrought."

[YellowRubberDuckie]

10. More like...

"We're sorry we got caught celebrating how much misery we made a shit ton of money causing."

[Skidmore]

6. Interesting site discussing Baum's practice.

http://longislandbankruptcyblog.com/steven-baum-pc-served-foreclosure-papers/

And another.

http://merscaught.blogspot.com/2010/08/ny-foreclosure-mill-attorney-steven.html

[Kaleko]

11. I clicked on that first link... Interesting, indeed.

These sadistic opportunists need more public exposure than they've been getting so far.

We can help shine a light on what foreclosure factories do to subvert the law.

[emilyg]

9. Apology not accepted.

[11 Bravo]

12. And to prove they're serious, they fired two secretaries.

[RagAss]

14. Burn in the bowels of hell !

[Huey P. Long]

16. "We will never forgive. We will never forget."