Legal Commentary

Cook County Sheriff Halts Foreclosure Evictions

By Jeralyn

The Sheriff of Cook County (Chicago) today announced his office will no longer evict people from homes under foreclosure.

many people his office has helped throw out on the street are renters who did nothing wrong.
“We will no longer be a party to something that's so unjust,” a visibly angry Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said at a news conference.

“We have to be sure that when we are doing this – and we are destroying some people's lives – we better be darned sure we're talking about the right people,” Dart said.

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Dart said that from now on, banks will have to present his office with a court affidavit that proves the home's occupant is either the owner or has been properly notified of the foreclosure proceedings.

Dart is believed to be the first Sheriff in the country to institute such a policy.

“My job as sheriff is to follow court orders, absolutely,” he said. “But I'm also in charge of making sure justice is being done here and it is clear that justice is not being done here.”

Full post as published by TalkLeft on October 08, 2008 (boomark / email).