Sunday, April 19, 2009

April 2009 Decisions of the 14th Court of Appeals - Houston, TX


April 2009 Civil Appellate Opinions from the Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston

Cano v. Nino's Paint and Body Shop (Tex.App.- Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 16, 2009)(Boyce) (admissibility of business records, business records affidavit, failure to disclose documentary evidence in discovery, attorneys fees on breach of contract, presentment of claim as condition precedent) AFFIRMED: Opinion by Justice Boyce Before Justices Frost, Brown and Boyce 14-08-00033-CV Richard Cano v. Nino's Paint and Body Shop and Jerry NinoAppeal from County Court at Law No 2 of Galveston County Trial Court Judge: Judge C. G. Dibrell III

Vaughn v. Hicks (Tex.App.- Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 16, 2009)(per curiam)(pro se prison inmate suit should have been dismissed without prejudice, rather than with prejudice) AFFIRMED AS MODIFIED: Per Curiam Before Justices Seymore, Brown and Sullivan 14-08-00726-CV Carlos A. L. Vaughn v. Natrenia L. Hicks, Russell D. Mittach, Jay A. North, Darron A. Lane, Wade A. King, Jr., Joe N. Ross, Freddie M. English, and Gweldolyn J. Spurlock Appeal from 3rd District Court of Anderson County Trial Court Judge: Mark A. Calhoon

Brockert v. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Tex.App. – Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 14, 2009)(Brown)(federal preemption, product liability drugs FDA, defective design claim) AFFIRMED IN PART; REVERSED & REMANDED IN PART: Opinion by Justice Brown Before Chief Justice Hedges, Justices Guzman and Brown 14-07-00445-CV Susan Brockert v. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Kay Lamberth, Lana Pavlesic, James Ty, Ann Callan, and Patrick Tyrrell Appeal from 151st District Court of Harris County Trial Court Judge: Caroline Elizabeth Baker

BCM v. Pokluda (Tex.App. – Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 14, 2009)(Boyce)(health care liability claim, adequacy of expert report, interlocutory appeal) DISMISSED: Opinion by Justice Bill Boyce Before Justices Brock Yates, Seymore and Boyce 14-07-00962-CV Baylor College of Medicine v. Bernadette Pokluda Appeal from 190th District Court of Harris County Trial Court Judge: Jennifer Elrod Walker

Shelton v. UTMB Galveston (Tex.App. – Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 14, 2009)(Anderson) (premises liability vs. health care liability suit, characterization of claim, frivolous suit / appeal sanctions) AFFIRMED: Opinion by Justice Anderson Before Chief Justice Hedges, Justices Anderson and Seymore 14-07-00994-CV Minnie Shelton Individually and as Representative of the Estate of Annie Mae Brown v. The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston d/b/a John Sealy Hospital Appeal from 405TH District Court of Galveston County Trial Court Judge: Wayne J. Mallia

Jackson v. Textron Fin. Corp. (Tex.App. – Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 14, 2009)(Boyce) (no answer default judgment reversed, answer was on file, general vs. sworn denial and counterclaim) REVERSED AND REMANDED: Opinion by Justice Boyce Before Justices Frost, Brown and Boyce 14-07-01011-CV Robert W. Jackson v. Textron Financial Corporation and Longagribusiness LLC N/K/A Farmtrac North America Appeal from 80th District Court of Harris CountyTrial Court Judge: Lynn M. Bradshaw-Hull

BCM v. Pokluda (Tex.App. – Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 14, 2009)(Boyce)(health care liability claim, adequacy of expert report) AFFIRMED: Opinion by Justice Boyce Before Justices Brock Yates, Seymore and Boyce 14-07-01096-CV Baylor College of Medicine v. Bernadette Pokluda Appeal from 190th District Court of Harris County Trial Court Judge: Jennifer Elrod Walker

In Interest of RCR (Tex.App. – Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 14, 2009)(Hedges) (termination of parental rights, constitutional issue waived, frivolousness)AFFIRMED: Opinion by Chief Justice Hedges Before Chief Justice Hedges, Justices Anderson and Seymore 14-08-00904-CV In the Interest of R.C.R., Jr., A Child Appeal from County Court at Law of Washington County Trial Court Judge: Matthew Alfred Reue

Nogle & Black Aviation, Inc. v. Faveretto (Tex.App.- Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 9, 2009)(Yates)(special appearance, personal jurisdiction) AFFIRMED IN PART/REVERSED AND RENDERED: Opinion by Justice Brock Yates Before Justices Brock Yates, Seymore and Boyce 14-08-00272-CV Nogle & Black Aviation, Inc. and Charles Judson Nogle v. Anna Maria Faveretto as Next Friend of Alejandro Migliori and Mariana Migliori, Minors, AmeriCountyMigliori as Administrator of the Estate of Peitro Foster MiglioriAppeal from Probate Court No 1 of Harris County Trial Court Judge: Russel P. Austin

Ob-Gyn Assoc, P.A. v. McCoy (Tex.App.- Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 9, 2009)(Brown)(HCLC, ILA, motion to dismiss, expert report requirement) AFFIRMED: Opinion by Justice Sullivan, Opinion by Justice Brown, Opinion by Justice Boyce Before Justices Brown, Boyce and Sullivan 14-08-00762-CV Obstetrical and Gynecological Associates, P.A. v. Andre McCoy, Individually and as Permanent Guardian of Shannon Miles McCoy, an incapacitated person Appeal from Probate Court No 3 of Harris County Trial Court Judge: Rory R. Olsen

Meehl v. Wise (Tex.App.- Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 7, 2009)(Hedges) (home owner law, real estate law, restrictive covenants, discriminatory zoning, group community homes for mentally impaired) REVERSED AND REMANDED: Opinion by Chief Justice Hedges Before Chief Justice Hedges, Justices Guzman and Brown 14-07-00592-CV Debra J. Meehl and Mark Meehl, Individually and as Officers and Agents of the Maureen J. Meehl Bipolar/BPD Foundation, Inc., and the Maureen J. Meehl Bipolar/BPD Foundation, Inc. v. Alfred M. Wise, Jr., Ketherine D. Wise, John P. Hundl, Donna G. Hundl, Wilmer Conner, Margie Ann Alexander, John T. Horn, Martha G. Horn, John T. Horn, Jr., Christopher Blake Broadway, Paula Lee Broadway, James Zimmer, Mildred Zimmer, Et Al Appeal from 239th District Court of Brazoria County Concurring Opinion by Justice Guzman

In Interest of RCT, LJT, CLT (Tex.App.- Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 7, 2009)(Frost) (child support lien by operation of law, definition of arrearage, federal tax intercept)AFFIRMED AS MODIFIED: Opinion by Justice Frost Before Justices Anderson, Hudson and Frost 14-07-00642-CV In Interest of R.C.T., L.J.T., C.L.T. Appeal from 311th District Court of Harris County Trial Court Judge: Douglas C. Warne

Mallia v. Mallia (Tex.App.- Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 7, 2009)(Yates)(judgment on mediated settlement agreement MSA, revocation of consent, rescission, rescinding agreement prior to judgment) AFFIRMED: Opinion by Justice Brock Yates 14-07-00695-CV Sharon Fountain Mallia and Charles Christopher Mallia v. Sharon Biering Mallia Before Justices Brock Yates, Seymore and Boyce Trial Court Judge: Russell P. Austin

Trojacek v. Estate of Kveton (Tex.App.- Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 7, 2009)(Sullivan)(real estate dispute, constructive trust, cancellation of deeds, breach of fiduciary duty,lis pendens, property transfer in expectation of marriage, lack of consideration)AFFIRMED IN PART DISMISSED IN PART: Opinion by Justice Sullivan Before Justices Brock Yates, Guzman and Sullivan) 14-07-00911-CV Theresa Elizabeth Trojacek and Ronald David Ludwig v. Estate of Magnolia Kveton Appeal from County Court at Law of Austin County

Richard v. Dretke (Tex.App.- Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 7, 2009)(Frost)(pro se litigants, IFP prisoner inmate suit dismissal, frivolous finding)AFFIRMED: Opinion by Justice Frost Before Justices Frost, Brown and Boyce) 14-08-00714-CV Anthony Joseph Richard v. Douglas Dretke, Et Al. Appeal from 349th District Court of Houston County

McCloskey v. McCloskey (Tex.App.- Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 2, 2009)(Subst. op. by Hedges) (SAPCR divorce attorneys fees cannot be ordered as additional child support enforceable by contempt) AFFIRMED AS MODIFIED: Opinion by Chief Justice Hedges Before Price, Chief Justice Hedges, Justice Boyce 14-06-00470-CV Christopher Joseph McCloskey v. Anne Miriam McCloskey Appeal from 387th District Court of Fort Bend County Trial Court Judge: Robert J. Kern

Weissman v. Unifund CCR Partners (Tex.App.- Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 2, 2009)(Yates) (debt collection suit, FDCPA claim) AFFIRMED: Opinion by Justice Brock Yates Before Justices Brock Yates, Seymore and Boyce14-07-00863-CV Janice M. Weissman v. Unifund CCR Partners Assignee of Discover Appeal from County Civil Court at Law No 3 of Harris County Trial Court Judge: Linda Storey

In Interest of CAB (Tex.App.- Houston [14th Dist.] Apr. 2, 2009)(Frost)(termination of parental rights) AFFIRMED: Opinion by Justice Frost AFFIRMED: Opinion by Justice Frost Before Justices Frost, Brown and Boyce 14-08-00360-CV In the Interest of C.A.B Trial Court Judge: John Phillips

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Asta Funding (Palisades Collecctions) agreement with subserver Unifund:

SCHEDULE 1

SERVICING FEE SCHEDULE

Servicing Fees relating to Receivables (a) with respect to which the Servicer has not engaged a Subservicer or (b) under the W&A Subservicing Agreement:







CLASS OF RECEIVABLE

PERCENTAGE

Receivables directly being serviced by the Servicer or a Subservicer; provided, for the purposes of clarification, that any Receivable subserviced by a vendor under a Subservicing Agreement, will not be deemed to be directly serviced by the Servicer or a Subservicer


24
%

All Bankrupt Receivables


50
%

All Receivables outside of the related statute of limitations


50
%

All other Receivables


30
%


Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Servicer will undertake reasonable best efforts to reduce the fee paid to the Subservicer under the W&A Subservicing Agreement by 4%, to the extent W&A utilizes information obtained by the Servicer in connection with the Unifund Servicing Agreement, and, in connection therewith, reduce the corresponding Servicing Fee by such amount.

Servicing Fees relating to Receivables under the Unifund Subservicing Agreement:




35% of gross collections (as defined in the master servicing agreement, dated as of March 28, 2008, between the Servicer and Unifund CCR Partners)









plus $275,000 per month through May 2009, inclusive









plus 3% of gross cash receipts (as defined in the management agreement), dated as of March 28, 2008, between the Servicer and Unifund CCR Partners) for the first $500,000,000 of gross cash receipts on all Receivables under this Servicing Agreement









plus 7% of gross cash receipts (as defined in the management agreement), dated as of March 28, 2008, between the Servicer and Unifund CCR Partners) thereafter on all Receivables under this Servicing Agreement



Servicing Fees relating to Receivables under the Allied Subservicing Agreement, the FMS Subservicing Agreement, the FMS Inc. Subservicing Agreement, the Penncro Subservicing Agreement, the Active Subservicing Agreement, the Constar Subservicing Agreement, the AC Subservicing Agreement and the Plaza Subservicing Agreement:




50% of gross cash receipts



Servicing Fees relating to Receivables under the TRAKAmerica Subservicing Agreement:




For Receivables identified as “recalls”: 32% of gross cash receipts or









For Receivables identified as “Telecom accounts”: 30% of gross cash receipts for a six-month trial period or









For all other Receivables, 30% of gross cash receipts plus






For all Receivables (a) for which a judgment has been rendered within the preceding three years or (b) for which suit had been filed in the preceding twelve months that is in post judgment enforcement, in each case to the extent such Receivable has been closed or recalled from the Subservicer for reasons unrelated to the Subservicer’s breach of or failure to perform under the Subservicing Agreement before payments or promises for payments have been made, a 5% non-contingent fee payable upon such closing or recall



Gross cash receipts for each Receivable means, for each Subservicing Agreement other than the W&A Subservicing Agreement and the Unifund Servicing Agreement, gross collections on such Receivable net, in the case of the TRAKAmerica Subservicing Agreement, court costs.



ARTICLE III

ADMINISTRATION AND SERVICING OF RECEIVABLES

Section 3.1 Servicer to Act as Servicer of Receivables. The Servicer shall service, manage and administer the Receivables on behalf of the Borrower and the Collateral Agent (for the benefit of the Secured Parties) and shall have full power and authority, acting alone and/or through Subservicers as provided in Section 4.01 , to do any and all things that it may deem reasonably necessary or desirable in connection with such servicing and administration and that do not violate any of the material terms of this Servicing Agreement or the Accepted Servicing Practices. Consistent with the terms of this Servicing Agreement and the Accepted Servicing Practices, the Servicer may waive, modify or vary any term of any Receivable or consent to the postponement of strict compliance with any such term or in any manner, grant indulgence to any Obligor under a Receivable if, in the Servicer’s reasonable determination, such waiver, modification, postponement or indulgence is not adverse to the interests of the Borrower, the Collateral Agent or any of the Secured Parties. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Servicer in its own name or in the name of the Borrower is hereby authorized and empowered by the Borrower when the Servicer believes it appropriate in its best judgment to execute and deliver, on behalf of the Borrower, any and all instruments of satisfaction or cancellation, or of partial or full release or discharge and all other comparable instruments, with respect to the Receivables.

The Servicer shall service, manage and administer the Receivables in accordance with applicable law, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act of 1968, as amended, and comparable state statutes, and by employing such procedures (including collection procedures) and degree of care, in each case as are customarily employed by the Servicer in servicing, managing and administering contracts owned or serviced by the Servicer comparable to the Receivables. The Servicer shall take all actions that are necessary or desirable to maintain continuous perfection of security interests granted by the Obligors in any collateral securing the Receivables, including, but not limited to, recording, registering, giving notice, obtaining consents, filing, re-recording, re-registering and refiling security agreements, financing

statements, continuation statements, notices, recordings or communications with court or other instruments as are necessary to maintain the security interest granted by the Obligors under the respective Receivables or as are required to perfect any Transfer of the Receivable Assets. The Servicer shall comply at all times in all material respects with the Accepted Servicing Practices and shall not take any action to impair the Collateral Agent’s security interest in any Receivable or related collateral, if any, except to the extent allowed under this Servicing Agreement, consistent with Accepted Servicing Practices or required by law.

The Servicer shall, at its expense, make, procure, execute and deliver such financing statement or statements, or amendments thereof or supplements thereto, or other instruments, certificates and supplemental writings, and do and deliver all acts, things, writings and assurances as necessary in order to comply with the UCC, or any other applicable law, to preserve and protect the security interest granted under the Transaction Documents and the priority of such security interest.

The Servicer may perform any of its duties pursuant to this Servicing Agreement, including those delegated to it pursuant to this Servicing Agreement, through Subservicers appointed by the Servicer, including Affiliates of the Servicer; provided , that, in each such delegation to a Subservicer: (i) such Subservicing Agreement shall be entered into in accordance with Section 4.01 ; and (ii) the Administrator, the Lender and the Collateral Agent shall have the right to look solely to the Servicer for performance. Notwithstanding any such delegation of a duty, the Servicer shall remain obligated and liable for the performance of such duty as if the Servicer were performing such duty. No later than June 30, 2008, each Subservicer shall agree in writing, to the extent not provided for in a Subservicing Agreement, to the following terms, in form reasonably acceptable to the Administrator: (i) following the termination of the servicing by the Servicer hereunder, the Collateral Agent may, at its option, (y) become, or appoint, an assignee under such Subservicing Agreement or (z) after no more than thirty (30) days prior written notice to the Subservicer, terminate the Subservicer under the related Subservicing Agreement (other than under the W&A Subservicing Agreement, except in connection with a Subservicer Termination Event (as defined therein), or under the Unifund Subservicing Agreement, except in connection with a Servicer Event of Default (as defined therein)) with respect to the Receivables other than Exempted Receivables, (ii) the Subservicer shall deposit all Collections received by such Subservicer directly into the Collection Account or an account designated in writing by the Administrator to the Servicer and the Subservicer, and the Subservicer will not, without the prior written consent of the Administrator, follow the instructions of the Servicer with respect to the depositing of Collections, (iii) the Subservicer will, upon the request of the Collateral Agent, deliver to the Collateral Agent information with respect to the Receivables as reasonably requested and (iv) the Subservicer shall agree to provide the Administrator with the same audit and inspection rights provided to the Servicer and its lenders under the related Subservicing Agreement.

The Servicer may take such actions as are necessary to discharge its duties as the Servicer in accordance with this Servicing Agreement, including the power to execute and deliver on behalf of the Borrower such instruments and documents as may be customary, necessary or desirable in connection with the performance of the Servicer’s duties under this Servicing Agreement (including consents, waivers and discharges relating to the Receivables and related collateral, if any, and such instruments or documents as may be necessary to effect liquidation of




ARTICLE IV

SUBSERVICERS

Section 4.1 Subservicing Agreements Between Servicer and the Subservicers. The Servicer, with the prior written consent of the Administrator (if such Subservicing Agreement is with a Subservicer other than each Subservicer listed on Schedule 2 hereto, as amended or supplemented from time to time with the prior written consent of the Administrator), may enter into Subservicing Agreements with one or more Subservicers for the servicing and administration of some or all of the Receivables. References in this Servicing Agreement to actions taken or to be taken by the Servicer in servicing the Receivables include actions taken or to be taken by a Subservicer on behalf of the Servicer. Each Subservicing Agreement shall provide for each Subservicer to service the related Receivables in accordance with Accepted Servicing Practices; provided, that no Subservicing Agreement shall provide for the servicing of Receivables on terms and conditions that would result in the failure of the Servicer to comply with the terms and conditions of this Servicing Agreement (including the modifications set forth on Schedule 2 hereto, as may be amended from time to time) in any material respect. Each Subservicer may hire third party vendors, provided that such Subservicers remain at all times in compliance with the related Subservicing Agreement. The Servicer hereby acknowledges that it is holding the Receivable Files and any other items of the Collateral in its possession from time to time for the related Receivables as bailee of Borrower and the Collateral Agent (for the benefit of the Secured Parties) in accordance with Section 3.03 .

Section 4.2 Obligation of Servicer. Notwithstanding any Subservicing Agreement, any of the provisions of this Servicing Agreement relating to agreements or arrangements between the Servicer or a Subservicer or reference to actions taken through a Subservicer or otherwise, the Servicer shall remain obligated to the Borrower and the Collateral Agent for the servicing, managing and administering of the Receivables in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.01 without diminution of such obligation or liability by virtue of such Subservicing Agreements or arrangements or by virtue of indemnification from a Subservicer and to the same extent and under the same terms and conditions as if the Servicer alone were servicing, managing and administering the Receivables. The Servicer shall be entitled to enter into any agreement with a Subservicer for indemnification of the Servicer and nothing contained in this Servicing Agreement shall be deemed to limit or modify such indemnification.

Section 4.3 No Contractual Relationship Between a Subservicer and Borrower or Collateral Agent. Any Subservicing Agreement that may be entered into and any other

transactions or services relating to the Receivables involving a Subservicer in its capacity as such and not as an originator shall be deemed to be between a Subservicer and the Servicer alone and the Borrower and the Collateral Agent shall not be deemed parties thereto and shall have no claims, rights, obligations, duties or liabilities with respect to a Subservicer except as set forth in Section 4.04 .

Section 4.4 Assumption or Termination of Subservicing Agreement by Collateral Agent. In the event the Servicer shall for any reason no longer be the servicer of the Receivables (including by reason of a Servicer Termination Event), the successor Servicer shall, at the direction of the Administrator, in accordance with Section 3.01 : (i) assume all of the rights and obligations of the Servicer under one or more Subservicing Agreements that may have been entered into by giving notice of such assumption to the related Subservicer or Subservicers within ten (10) Business Days of the termination of the Servicer as servicer of the Receivables or (ii) except with respect to Exempted Receivables, terminate all of the rights and obligations of any Subservicer under the related Subservicing Agreement. Upon the giving of such notice, the successor Servicer shall be deemed to have assumed all of the Servicer’s interest therein and to have replaced the Servicer as a party to the Subservicing Agreement to the same extent as if the Subservicing Agreement had been assigned to the assuming party except that the Servicer and the Subservicer, if any, shall not thereby be relieved of any accrued liability or obligations under the Subservicing Agreement and the Subservicer, if any, shall not be relieved of any liability or obligation to the Servicer that survives the assignment or termination of the Subservicing Agreement.

The predecessor Servicer shall, upon request of the successor Servicer (at the expense of the predecessor Servicer), deliver to the assuming party all documents and records relating to the Subservicing Agreement and the Receivables then being serviced and an accounting of amounts collected and held by it and otherwise use its best efforts to effect the orderly and efficient transfer of the Subservicing Agreement to the assuming party.

ARTICLE V

SERVICER TERMINATION EVENT

Section 5.1 Servicer Termination Event. “Servicer Termination Event,” wherever used herein, means any one of the following events:

(i) the Servicer shall fail, or fail to cause any Subservicer, to deposit all amounts required to be deposited in the Collection Account by the Servicer or Subservicer when required to be deposited under this Servicing Agreement and such failure shall continue unremedied for 1 Business Day after the Servicer has knowledge or notice thereof, other than with respect to administrative errors not to exceed $10,000 of Collections in any Collection Period for which such grace period shall be 5 Business Days after the Servicer has knowledge or notice thereof; or

(ii) the Servicer shall fail to observe or perform in any material respect any other of the covenants or agreements on the part of the Servicer contained in this Servicing

Agreement or any other Transaction Document to which it is a party and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period of twenty (20) days after the Servicer has knowledge or notice thereof;

(iii) a decree or order of a court or agency or supervisory authority having jurisdiction in the premises in an involuntary case under any present or future federal or state bankruptcy, insolvency or similar law or appointing a conservator or receiver or liquidator in any insolvency, readjustment of debt, marshaling of assets and liabilities or similar proceedings, or for the winding-up or liquidation of its affairs, shall have been entered against the Servicer;

(iv) the Servicer shall consent to the appointment of a conservator or receiver or liquidator in any insolvency, readjustment of debt, marshaling of assets and liabilities or similar proceedings of, or relating to, the Servicer or of, or relating to, all or substantially all of the property of the Servicer;

(v) the Servicer shall admit in writing its inability to pay its debts generally as they become due, file a petition to take advantage of, or commence a voluntary case under, any applicable insolvency or reorganization statute, make an assignment for the benefit of its creditors, or voluntarily suspend payment of its obligations;

(vi) the Servicer shall have breached any of the representations and warranties set forth in Section 2.01 in any material respect and the Servicer shall have failed to cure such breach within ten (10) days of its receipt of a notice of such breach;

(vii) a Change in Control shall have occurred with respect to the Servicer (if Palisades Collection is the Servicer);

(viii) (a) the amendment of any Subservicing Agreement without the prior written consent of the Administrator or (b) the Servicer or Borrower enters into a new Subservicing Agreement with respect to the Receivables without the written consent of the Administrator;

(ix) an Event of Default (as defined in the Loan Agreement) has occurred under such facility which has not been waived prior to termination of the rights of the Servicer under this Servicing Agreement; or

(x) a Termination Event shall have occurred under the Receivables Financing Agreement.

If a Servicer Termination Event shall occur (which has not been waived), then, and in each and every such case, the Administrator may, by notice in writing to the Servicer (with a copy to the Borrower and the Collateral Agent), terminate all of the rights and obligations of the Servicer under this Servicing Agreement and in and to the Servicer’s interest in and to the

Anonymous said...

Ultimately, there is one man and his three sons that are responsible for inflicting finical pain and suffering on over one million families in America: Bernard D. Zises (Ben) and Sons Jay, Selig and Seymour. Ben and his sons ran Integrated Resources, a real estate investment trust. Small-time investors put their life savings into a scheme that let the investor use a tax depreciation on commercial real estate, and at the same time, get capital gains when the investment matured and was sold. The company was privately held by the Zises family.
But, they got wind of pending changes to the tax laws that would put them out of business. So, what’s a nice Jewish family to do? How about go public and sell the business to a couple of thousand suckers! Yeah, they can get their good friend Michael Milken to sell securities in Integrated Resources, just before the company becomes completely worthless. Bernard Zises and his three sons became filthy rich, and investors were out $995 million dollars.
Ben, what would your Mother Fanny, Father Samuel, and older brother Louis say to you if they could see you today? Would brothers and sisters Sidney, Rose, Ida, Peppie and David be ashamed to meet you again? You are about to meet them all again, and for eternity. Will you have to explain yourself and the suffering you have caused? Did your wife Ruth have to explain for you already when she met her maker? Ben, have you been a good human being? Did you leave the world a better place than when you entered it? What will the ghostly members of the basketball team from Thomas Jefferson High School, or your spirited alum of Long Island University have to say:”….guilty, of crimes against humanity”?
But, you sons have done so much better than you at inflicting finical pain and suffering. They have a very good teacher, Dad. Your son Seymour runs Forest Hill Capital a.k.a. Family Management Corp. where he has lost millions of investor’s money by investing with Bernie Madoff. I’ll bet Seymour figured out an angle to end up with the money as a result of this suffering too.
Better yet, all three sons are the founding principles of Unifund CCR partners, a vicious collection agency. This year, Unifund will sue 160,000 families for credit card debt. Many families will be sued for cards they never owned. Even more will be sued, and never know about it until their wages are garnished, their bank account is cleaned out or the Sheriff sells the family home. This is an exceptionally profitable business. A face value account of say $8000 can be bought for less than $400, and yield a default judgment in excess of $20,000. And, since the tax laws treat purchased debit proceeds the same as loss recovery mitigation, the profits are mostly not reportable and tax free! Woopie!!!!
The industry is full of illegal activity all the way up to the corporate management level. Unifund has a contract with Asta Funding a.k.a. Palisades Collections that rewards Unifund CCR Partners with a premium commission for collecting “…outside the relative statute of limitations”.
I am sure the Zises Brothers have multiple offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands, Jersey, Isle of Man, Isle of White and various South China Sea banks. They must be using their accounts with the Israeli Discount Bank on 5th avenue, which has a branch in the Cayman Islands, as a vehicle to get the unreported Unifund proceeds out of the country.
Ben, I think there are a lot of people that want their money back. The first thing they should do is to send you a demand letter:

Bernard D. Zises
72 Estates Ter N.
Manhasset, NY 11030
(516) 484-0887
Or
Bernard D. Zises
2201 Christy Ln
Oldsmar, FL 34677
(727) 789-4211.

If you cannot find him there, try the house of his son Seymour:

Seymour W. Zises
1016 5th Ave.
New York, NY 10028
(212) 535-7734
Or
Seymour W. Zises
71 Jefferson Blvd
Atlantic Beach, NY 11509
(516) 239-3576

If you cannot find him there, try the house of his son Jay:

Jay H. Zises
965 5th Ave., #10B
New York, NY
(212) 879-0212
Or
Jay H. Zises
639 Ocean Rd
Bridgehampton, NY 11932
(631) 537-5628
Or
Jay H. Zises
106 Old Orchard Rd
Palm Beach, FL 33480
(561) 588-9700

If you cannot find him there, try the house of his son Selig:

Selig A. Zises
988 5th Ave., #9
New York, NY
(212) 772-6460
(212) 593-6700
Or
Selig A. Zises
760 Sagg Main St
Sagaponack, NY 11962
(631) 537-0537
Or
Selig A. Zises
3035 Countryside Blvd #35B
Clearwater, FL 34621
(813)796-8922

Such a nice family.

Anonymous said...

Seems to me like Representative Gary L. Ackerman (D-NY) has some explaining to do.
Records - reported on www.r8ny.com, a New York City political Web site - show Ackerman (D-Jamaica Estates) accepted a "personal loan" last year for as much as $100,000 from Selig Zises, a large investor in a California-based company that Ackerman called Xenonics Options. However, Ackerman, who denies any improprieties, said the alleged loan was actually a sale of stock that he accidentally misreported.
"I no longer have it," Ackerman said yesterday. "I sold it off a couple weeks back."

On March 9, 2002, Ackerman, a senior member on the International Relations Committee, purchased between $1,001 to $15,000 of stock in Xenonics, which is today valued at between $100,000 and $250,000, according to financial records.
The 12th-term lawmaker said he decided to invest in Xenonics - a name he said he doesn't even know how to pronounce - after a suggestion from Zises, whom he described as a friend.

The U.S. Army awarded the company a $2.98 million contract a year later to manufacture night-vision equipment. Ackerman said he played no role in steering federal dollars to Xenonics.

Within two years of his initial investment, Ackerman's stake in Xenonics Options had ballooned to as much as $1 million.
Why Xenonics? The answer can probably be found in Ackerman's close ties to the Zises family, one of New York's uber-Likudniks. Since 1990, the Zises family Bernard, Seymour, Selig & Jay, contributed at least $30,000 of Unifund CCR Partner proceeds (a vicious collection agency that will sue 160,000 Americans for Credit Card Default this year) to Ackerman's campaign coffers.
How close are Ackerman and the Zises? Close enough apparently for Ackerman to have made a statement on the House floor last year in celebration of patriarch Bernard Zises's 90th birthday, and another upon the death of the Zises family matriarch, Ruth Zises . That's right: a statement on the House floor.

Anonymous said...

Correction:
Jay Zises
106 Old Orchard Rd
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
(561) 588-9700

Anonymous said...

So, where do Unifund proceeds go after the Zises Brothers ACAP Offshore laundering in the Cayman Islands? ...funding of Israeli settlements in Palestine, according to AlJazeera:
"The Roundtable Political Action Committee includes Riklis, junk-bond king Michael Milken and founders Jay, Selig and Seymour Zises. Seymour Zises is also president of the National Political Action Committee, NPAC, which works in tandem with AIPAC, the highly influential American-Israeli Political Action Committee. Jay Zises is president of "Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces." Others include Ivan Boesky and executives of United Fruit/Chiquita Banana while the son of Loew Corp. owner, Laurence Tisch, is a co-founder.
Menachem Atzmon, convicted of campaign financing fraud in the 90s, and Stephen L. Friedman are partners of International Consultants on Targeted Security (ICTS) run by former Israeli military commanders and government intelligence agencies. In 1999, ICTS took over management of security at Logan Airport in Boston under its subsidiary Huntleigh , USA and was in charge on 9/11. Friedman is a member of the Israel Defense Fund. And then there's Ronald Lauder, heir to the Estee Lauder cosmetic fortune who is treasurer of the World Jewish Congress and a trustee of the Special Reserve Fund of the Anti-Defamation League.
Media links are not missing. Marc Belzberg, business partner of the Zises, owns the Jerusalem Post and funds West Bank settlements. He's a major supporter of the Sharon-linked yeshiva seminary rumored to be training the priesthood for the Third Temple to be built on the Temple Mount after the Al Aqsa mosque is destroyed. Along with Ira Rennert, and Irving I. Moscowitz, Belzberg was involved in the contentious opening of the tunnels under the Al Aqsa mosque; one opening caused 76 Palestinians deaths in three days of fighting. Rennert now controls the tunnel entrances. Moscowitz funded Jewish take-overs of housing in East Jerusalem and settlements in the West Bank .
Marvin Josephson, owner of Hollywood 's International Creative Management (ICM) agency, has not only been Henry Kissinger's literary agent but is Chairman of NPAC. Mortimer Zuckerman owns US News and World Report and the New York Daily News. He regularly agitates for war against Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations in his column US News. He is a director of "Friends of the Israel Defense Forces."
Mervyn Adelson, ex-husband of Barbara Walters and former Chairman of Lorimar Telepictures, is a friend of Benjamin Netanyahu. His lawyer, Yaakov Ne’eman, was Israeli Finance Minister under Netanyahu. Henry Kravis of RJR Nabisco is also a sponsor of Israel 's right wing and a Republican donor with ties to the Bush family.
Underworld connections come from casino owners with early ties to the Meyer Lansky/ Moe Dalitz Mafia syndicate. They include Mervyn Adelson and Sheldon Adelson. Sheldon wants to build casinos in Israel and has been granted gambling licenses in Macao , China along with Steven Wynn, owner of the Mirage casinos. Wynn sponsors right-wing Israeli causes, has ties to Lansky and is a member of the board of the George Bush Presidential Library. Henry Kravis has early ties to Lansky but isn't connected to gambling. However, the EU has accused him of narcotic money laundering."