Significant Litigation

  • A class action was filed in Federal Court to stop illegal police stops in the City of Buffalo.

  • This case was a two-state class action against Five Star Bank for sending faulty notices to consumers after their cars were repossessed. The Five Star Bank settlement benefits individuals whose vehicles were repossessed by Five Star Bank and who were sent specific forms of notice between May 16, 2011, and Sept. 30, 2021.

  • NCLEJ and the Western New York Law Center filed a class action, McCoy v. Restaino, in the Western District of New York on behalf of residents of Niagara County who have applied, or are applying, for food stamps and/or cash public assistance. The complaint alleges that month after month, Niagara County fails to process hundreds of applications for food stamps and cash public assistance within the time periods prescribed by law, and fails to advise applicants of the delays and of their right to challenge the delays.

  • A defendant appealed to the Fourth Department regarding the rules about how strong the evidence needs to be for a summary judgment in a case about unpaid car loans. The court decided in our client's favor, meaning they canceled the money judgment and returned the case for more consideration.

  • The Western New York Law Center (WNYLC) took legal action in State Supreme Court for the Town of West Seneca. They said that the mortgage servicer did not take care of a property as it should according to the law (RPAPL Sections 1308-1310). A settlement was reached where Servicing Portfolio Solutions (SPS) agreed to pay the Town and set up a plan to deal with abandoned or "zombie" properties in the future.

  • The Western New York Law Center (WNYLC) took legal action in State Supreme Court for the Town of Clarence because the mortgage servicer didn't take care of a property like they were supposed to, according to the law (RPAPL Sections 1308-1310). They reached a settlement to pay back the Town for its costs, and the unsafe building was torn down.

  • This case is a federal class action lawsuit against a foreclosure plaintiff law firm. The lawsuit concerns the fees and costs the law firm charged homeowners. It claims that the law firm misled homeowners and tried to collect unfair charges for foreclosure services that were either too high or didn't happen at all. The Western New York Legal Services is working with the Bromberg Law Office, PC, and the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) on this case. A Magistrate Judge is now in charge of handling the case.

Significant Projects

  • The Western New York Law Center has played a leading role in a campaign in Buffalo and across New York to ensure water is affordable and reduce water shutoffs for people who have trouble paying their bills. We worked with community groups and legal services all over the state to help pass laws protecting residential customers from being shut off from electric, gas, phone, and water services during the pandemic. New York is the first state to have such laws.

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