AHRC.com at risk of shut down by powerful realty interests

April 13, 2008

By Danny Schechter (View author info)

Mediachannel.org appeals to its readers and the independent media community to publicize this issue, appeal to the local press to cover it and to civil liberties groups to defend them. This is an issue of economic justice and free expression in the context of a national foreclosure crisis.

A California website representing homeowners fighting against foreclosures and arbitrary actions by Homeowner Associations is at risk of being shut down in the same way that a muckraking whistle blower site, Wikileaks.org was removed from the internet by a California Judge until a public clamor forced him to reverse himself.

In that case, an off shore bank had brought the action to stop the leaking of alleged improprieties. In this case, realtors and a notoriously anti-homeowner law firm, Peters and Freedman is threatening AHRC.com (The American Homeowner's Resource Center) which stands up for aggrieved homeowners.

"This case epitomizes the struggle we are in" says Elizabeth McMahon who runs AHRC News based in San Juan Capistrano, California. "It is a conflict between human rights and property rights with avaricious lawyers and corrupted courts trying to silence a voice of homeowners."

THE THREAT

The Peters and Freedman firm which represents more than 700 homeowners associations is trying to seize the site's domain name as an extension of a battle with a homeowner who insists she is being wronged by the courts who are enforcing the rights of corporately controlled homeowner associations over the rights of property holders. Compounding the problem are state laws, passed by the power of the Real Estate Lobby, that force homeowners to join and pay dues to these company-union type organizations that operate undemocratically and then dictate to them with little right of appeal appeal.

This week, Homeowner Association foreclosure lawyers Peters & Freedman are asking an Orange County Superior Court to shut down the homeowners networking, publishing and communications website ahrc.com. The AHRC says they are misrepresenting the facts in a fraudulent manner--in much the same way that subprime loads were made.

This case is on appeal but Judge Clay Smith, (who was challenged for bias but did not contest it and hence is removed from the case), signed a judgment for "Sanctions" of $40,000 after homeowners filed a SLAPP suit in their own defense. The case is currently before Commissioner Jane Myers.

THE SITE

Homeowners shunned by local political representatives, local media, and courts began their own media, networking, publishing and communications website ahrc.com in 1997. It soon became a heavily trafficked and popular website for homeowners, media, public officials and businesses reaching 2.5 to 3 million hits a month.

It has been relied on by virtually every media organization for information on homeowner associations - including, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX. If the Ahrc.com website is closed down, homeowners around the country would be dramatically impacted because these media organizations would not be able to give information on homeowner associations and homeowner complaints to their readers/viewers.

AHRC.com carried no ads and is not a business and receives no funding from government, businesses or individuals. the website is a volunteer grassroots public service effort by several homeowners devoted to providing a voice for homeowners.

SOME BACKGROUND

"Peters & Freedman is trying to steal the Ahrc.com website," says Elizabeth McMahon and "shut out information on foreclosure fraud from reaching other homeowners, government officials and the world. Peters & Freedman have been defendants in several RICO and fraudulent foreclosure lawsuits."

LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

• Seniors forced to sell their trailer home shelters to pay homeowner association lawyers Peters & Freedman.

• Investigation on Homeowner Association Foreclosure Filings - Part I - Reveals Serious Flaws By Lawyers Peters & Freedman

• Investigation on Homeowner Association Foreclosure Filings - Part 2 - The Hockleys Seek Restitution Of Their Home From Peters & Freedman

• ON WIKILEAKS.ORG CASE - Bank Moves to Withdraw Its Suit Against Wikileaks Site

CONTACT:

Elizabeth McMahon
AHRC News Services
P. O. Box 97
San Juan Capistrano, California 92693
(949) 366-2125
http://www.ahrc.com


Other Internet Publication that published this Domain Foreclosures in America story

• US: Anti-Foreclosure Website Is Threatened With Foreclosure - Mathaba News Agency
• A MEDIACHANNEL ACTION ALERT: Stop Foreclosure of A Website

Notes: Publisher are free to re-publish this Media Alert as long as it includes a link back to the source url.

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