I had no idea. It seemed to have faded off into that silent
world of negotiated settlements.
Until today that is. In his column in The Washington Post, Robert McCartney writes that an unrelated new suit, filed in federal court, alleges
that Creig “received hundreds of thousands of dollars of illicit
payments over a period of 13 years to send settlement business to a local title
firm.”
That would be Lakeview Title. McCartney also mentions them.
“The agreement provided that Northrop would “designate
Lakeview as its exclusive preferred settlement and title company,” and would
not “designate or endorse any entity” other than Lakeview for such business.
The new lawsuit alleges that the marketing deal was a clear
violation of a U.S.
law, known as RESPA, which prohibits a firm from receiving compensation in exchange
for referrals for real estate settlement services.”
The column also shed some light on the case from my earlier post.
“Much of the earlier lawsuit, in state court, was defeated
on technical grounds. A judge ruled that the complaint didn't qualify as a
class action and that the statute of limitations had expired. The plaintiffs
plan to appeal.”
Now you know.
