Judge asks Stern to rethink exit strategy

Embattled South Florida foreclosure attorney David Stern may not get away with surrendering unilaterally to increasing scrutiny come April 1, despite announcing earlier this month that he would cease all foreclosure operations in the state at his eponymous law firm. Palm Beach County Chief Judge Peter Blanc is now “strongly” urging Stern to rethink his decision, originally announced in a March 4 letter to all chief judges in the state. Blanc said the letter doesn’t count as an “effective or legal termination” of his obligations, which includes some 10,000 Florida foreclosure cases slated to enter limbo when Stern’s firm drops off the radar. “We will set the hearings in large blocks to reduce the amount of court time necessary to address the high volume of cases,” Blanc said. “We will also send copies of our orders out electronically to all registered users of our online scheduling system to increase the likelihood of new counsel receiving notice and will post the notices on our 15th Circuit website.” [Palm Beach Post]