Faulty Foreclosures Blamed on Fla. Courts

Getting $6 million to clean up faulty foreclosures as quickly as possible is probably the worst thing that could have happened to Florida's court system. The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, the First Amendment Foundation and several press entities have joined forces in an effort to put a stop to the rampant "rocket docket" mentality that has arisen after state lawmakers allotted those funds.

The action against the court system comes on the heels of the announcement that from July 1 to Sept. 30, 65,830 foreclosure cases were cleared (hence the term "rocket docket").

According to a recent Palm Beach Postarticle, 25 percent of the cases were cleared for reasons such as a short sale or a deed-in-lieu-of-foreclosure agreement. It also became apparent that several of the judges hired with the allotted money were using quickie summary judgments to clear cases. Such judgments are routinely made without a traditional trial when the facts in a case are irrefutable.

Such practices leave homeowners out in the cold, literally, and with no resolution in sight