Page 28 - Sharp-Hundley 2012

Rebecca Reinhardt Welcomed; Practice Expanded

The Sharp Law Firm, P.C. is pleased to announce that Rebecca L. Reinhardt, member of the bars of the states of Illinois
and Pennsylvania, of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, and of
the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, has joined the firm.
Simultaneously, the Firm is pleased to announce that it has expanded its client service
offerings to include matters in family law.
A Pinckneyville native, Rebecca received her B.A. from Southern Illinois University in
1998 and her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 2001. She clerked for Judge
Gerald R. Solomon of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas from 2001-03 and has
practiced in Pennsylvania since 2003, with a concentration in family law.
She is a frequent lecturer at continuing legal education seminars and is the author of
Drafting Prenuptial Agreements to Avoid Future Challenges and Whose Client Is It
Anyway?, both published by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
She will concentrate her practice in family law, probate, estate planning and elder law.
She may be reached at our Mt. Vernon office, 618-242-0246, Rreinhardt@lotsharp.com.
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order that they could use special process servers without case-specific motion and order as seemingly
contemplated by 735 ILCS 5/2-202(a-5). The appellate panel upheld that GAO and said it did not conflict
with § 2-202. See also U.S. Bank, N.A. v. Dzis, 2011 IL App (1st) 102812; Sewickley, LLC v. Chicago
Title Land Trust Co., 2012 IL App (1st) 112977.

Mortgagee Sanctioned for Increasing Payments in Chapter 13

A creditor or mortgage servicer that increases payments due from a Chapter 13 debtor without giving
required notice to the trustee, the debtor, and the debtor’s attorney may be assessed actual damages,
punitive damages and attorney fees, a bankruptcy court in Iowa has ruled.

In addition, the court ruled that the servicer at issue would lose its right to increase payment amounts
without specific court approval. In re Wright, 461 B.R. 757 (Bankr. N.D. Iowa 2011).

“Public Policy” Favors New Ownership of Foreclosure Property

There is a public policy interest in getting new ownership for property in foreclosure, so as to
prevent deterioration of the asset, a panel of the Illinois Appellate Court has ruled in rejecting dilatory
mortgagees’ attempts to reopen a confirmed foreclosure sale.

Sewickley, LLC v. Chicago Title Land Trust Co., 2012 IL App (1st) 112977, holds that a court
hearing such belated challenges “is well within its authority to not disrupt a judicial sale . . . because
of a party’s negligence in not making its arguments sooner.” Moreover, the court said that failure to
oppose a proposed order to confirm a sale “constitutes a waiver of the objections” which 735 ILCS
5/15-1508(b) sets forth as permissible in sale confirmation proceedings.

--John T. Hundley, 618-242-0246, Jhundley@lotsharp.com

John\SharpThinking\#69.doc

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THE SHARP LAW FIRM, P.C.

1115 Harrison, P.O. Box 906, Mt. Vernon, IL 62864 • Telephone 618-242-0246 • Facsimile 618-242-1170

Business Transactions • Litigation • Financial Law • Problem Finances • Real Estate • Corporate • Commercial Disputes • Creditors’ Rights •
Arbitration • Employment Matters • Estate Planning • Probate • Family Matters

Terry Sharp: Tsharp@lotsharp.com; John T. Hundley: Jhundley@lotsharp.com; Rebecca L. Reinhardt, Rreinhardt@lotsharp.com;
Bentley J. Bender: Bbender@lotsharp.com.

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