A Typical Day in Motions Court.

No. 520 Judge Wettick schedules arbitration case motions at 10:00 on Friday and it so happened that my motion was listed next to last. Since I couldn’t leave, I decided to sit in the front where I could at least listen to what was going on. Here’s a non-scientific sample of the kind of stuff […]

Mind over Clutter.

I just finished participating in a CMU study called “Mind Muscle”, the purpose of which is to determine whether mental function can be improved in a measurable way by participation in games. These were not just any games, of course. They were specifically designed to help develop short term memory, hand-eye coordination and the like.

Letters from Kijabe.

I have added a new item to the blogroll — Letters from Kijabe. Our long-time friend, Susan Ferson and her husband Leland Albright, are living their dream. They are performing pediatric neurosurgery in a small hospital in Kijabe, Kenya. In their blog, you can follow the daily trials and tribulations of the attempt by these two Americans to bring the benefits of 21st century surgery to the furthest corner of the third world.

Maz Forever!

For those of you who don’t live in Western Pennsylvania, an interesting story has developed here. Fifty years ago this week, the Pittsburgh Pirates won the 1960 World Series by defeating the heavily favored New York Yankees in the bottom of the ninth inning of the seventh game when second baseman Bill Mazeroski hit a towing home run over the scoreboard. In this town, we’ve all seen the grainy film of the pitch, the hit, the sight of the ball clearing the scoreboard and Maz dancing around the bases while the crowd surged onto the field.

Lead Paint Remediation: Sign Up anyway.

The EPA adopted regulations that required repair work in, among other buildings, residential rental properties, that required all but very very small renovation jobs to be conducted by contractors with special training and certification. This requirement was effective on April 22, 2010 but there were not very many certified contractors at that time. So the EPA announced that it would not enforce the regulation, provided the contractor signed up for training by September 30 and completed training by the end of the year.

President Vetos Notary Bill Because of Foreclosure Issues

No. 515 President Obama will veto a bill that was recently adopted unanimously in the Senate because it has implications for the ongoing robosigning controversy. DSNews.com reports that the President will pocket veto the Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act because it may interfere with the process of determining whether foreclosure documents were properly verified. The […]

Fannie Mae May Be Reluctant to Purchase Mortgages Involving Resale of Foreclosure Properties

The New York Times reports that Fannie Mae may be nervous about purchasing mortgages that have recently been through judicial foreclosure. The Times specifically mentions only one property in Florida, but the mere hint that Fannie may not purchase some foreclosure mortgages may be enough to cause lenders to exercise extreme caution when financing or refinancing such properties. Until this problem is definitively addressed, thousands of sales throughout the country could be in jeopardy.

Old Republic Announces That It Will Not Insure Properties Foreclosed by J P Morgan Chase and GMAC.

Aha! Now it is starting to make sense. It seemed a little strange that J P Morgan Chase and GMAC had halted foreclosures in judicial foreclosure states pending an investigation of practices that they must have known have been going on for years. Well, now we are starting to see why.

Lead Paint: EPA Contractor Certification Required.

If you are a landlord, you need to be aware that since April 2010 the EPA has required that you may only hire a contractor who has obtained an EPA certification to do repairs on properties built before 1978 that may be occupied by children. Of course, you can do the work yourself without a certification and you can do a very small repair (the regs specify this in detail), but by and large you must ask any contractor you hire to work on a pre-1978 building for proof of certification. The fine for non-compliance is $37,500.00 per occurrence.

AVVO Answer of the Week: Statutory Dating

No. 511 Here’s an AVVO Answer that will bring a smile to your face, unless, of course you’ve been wondering the same thing. CLT

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Welcome

CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

Legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus.

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