Photo not that of the actual client
“Arturo,” who had stage 4 mesothelioma, came to JALA facing a foreclosure of his deceased mother’s home. He was able to afford the mortgage payments, but first he needed to get the title to be transferred to his name. JALA attorney Carol Miller stepped in to handle probate on Arturo’s mother’s estate.
Arturo’s mother had a will, of which Arturo had only a copy, not the original. Miller filed the copy, but it was up to the court to decide whether to accept it given the possibility that his mother had destroyed the original will intentionally. Miller therefore had to go through numerous legal hurdles to convince the court to give Arturo title, which took about a year. JALA had agreed on Arturo’s behalf to a foreclosure judgment with an extended sale in hope that the probate could be completed before the foreclosure.
Just in time, JALA attorney Michael Pelkowski got Arturo a loan modification and had the foreclosure sale cancelled and judgment reversed. Arturo made his first payment but unfortunately passed away a few weeks later. Still, JALA’s efforts enabled him to spend his last days in his own home, and now his six children will be able to inherit the house from him.
