Q: I had my corporation stolen with a forged signature. Need advice on what to do to take the next step.
I am reaching out because I need legal assistance for a real estate fraud case.
I am not sure what my options are at this point, or how to proceed legally. Based on the information I have, I believe that a forged signature was used during the process, and the corporation was stolen. I am looking for legal guidance on how to handle this situation.
If you have experience with real estate fraud cases, I would appreciate a consultation to discuss my options further. I would also like to know more about your experience in this area of law and your cost structure for legal services.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.
A:
You need to act fast!
You can do a lot of damage control and undue any fraud if you move fast. It will require court intervention and may end up needing some police involvement. However, police are not needed. The court is needed.
See a lawyer ASAP. Gather all of your corporate documents, and initial paperwork, etc., to make it easy to get started. Also gather all the fraud docs, names, addresses, notary names and addresses, and any other information on the people who scammed you.
I give free consultations, as do many other lawyers on Justia.
Do not wait, or you will lose. Good luck!
A:
Unfortunately, real estate fraud cases seem to be increasing in Texas, although there have been some recent legislative changes to try to make it harder. Stealing a corporation through the use of a forged signature is pretty hard to hide from the actual owner of the corporation with annual franchise tax, federal income tax, and Secretary of State filings. The forgery itself is a criminal offense.
As indicated in our profile, we provide a 90-minute initial consultation for a low flat fee of $500. My currently hourly fee is $500, which is customary and usual in the North Texas area for an attorney with my experience. You can check out my profile here on Justia or on our law firm's website to review my experience which includes both real estate and business litigation. From your question, it looks like your particular situation overlaps the two. I have a pretty diverse civil litigation and appellate practice, so I can't say real estate fraud is my primary area of practice. But I have handled a few such cases over the course of my career.
I worked closely with a good friend and professional colleague of mine, Carla S. Rankin, who primarily practices in the area of family law and who uncovered a deed fraud scheme orchestrated by our client's ex-husband which resulted in both a state and federal law enforcement investigation. I expect further media coverage of the ex-husband's criminal case to air later this week.
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