Suit Proceeds Against Attorneys Accused of Facilitating Mortgage ‘Doomed to Failure’

A New York judge has allowed an action to go forward against two attorneys and others who are accused of facilitating a $629,000 mortgage for a waitress who earned less than $25,000 a year. Plaintiff Portia Joseph alleged attorneys Joseph Kunstlinger and Adrian A. Ellis encouraged and directed her to execute fraudulent loan documents. Faced with a substantial lien and potential foreclosure, Joseph and her mother have also filed claims against Bank of America and a real estate broker and the broker's company.