JP Morgan Chase Killed Minister Then Evicted Wife, Lawsuit Claims

By Eric Nicholson Thu., Jul. 5 2012 at 1:36 PM

Harry Engel loved his home right up to the day it killed him. The retired minister had grown up as an orphan, so he took particular pride in the modest Grand Prairie house he had shared with wife Wanda for 22 years.

In February 2010, the couple received a letter from JP Morgan Chase offering to lower their monthly mortgage payment by refinancing their home. They drove to a nearby branch and met with Michael Paretti, who told them they should skip a payment in order to qualify for the program, which they did only to be bombarded with letters informing them they did not qualify and demanding they bring their account current. The Engels, according to a lawsuit filed on June 29 in Dallas County district court and first reported by Courthouse News, were "distraught, confused, and afraid." They only grew more so when Chase foreclosed upon their house.

When the couple received an eviction notice, Harry "changed dramatically. He was overcome with stress and fear, and was terrified at the thought of losing his and Wanda's home of more than 20 years. His once positive outlook was gone." On July 1, he woke up and got dressed but soon collapsed into a chair, dying of a heart attack in an ambulance en route to the hospital. The bank moved forward with the eviction, changing the locks on the home and forcing Wanda to move into her daughter's apartment.

The lawsuit, filed by Wanda Engel and the couple's three adult children, claims that Chase is responsible for Harry Engel's death by enticing the Engels into refinancing their home, which led to the foreclosure and heart attack-inducing stress. This also amounts to fraud since, the Engels claim, Chase "made illegal, negligent and fraudulent representation to the Engels so that it could secure a loan modification entitling Chase to benefits and financial incentives that the government was providing lenders to make loan modifications," a wrongful seizure of property and an intentional breach of fiduciary duty.

I've left a voicemail for a Chase spokesman. I'll update when I hear back.

Foreclosed in Dallas

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Branden Helms

Then why are you reading it?

Robert Smith

Really - got a job? I figured you for some loser retiree hanging out at home listening to Rush. Funny comment of yours that you replied to - Mr. Powerful.

Gat2KeepOnMovin

Yeah you should try getting one rather than sitting around waiting for your Obama check to come in all month.

Chiggers!

Yeah, he stabbed a giant in the toe, but the other shoe has yet to drop. Probably right on top of him.

RTGolden

Sometimes, the little guy wins, however: http://www.newser.com/story/112344/homeowner-forecloses-on-bank-office.html

RTGolden

So, you went from oven burning little kids' hands with tokens at Chuck E Cheese, to selling witless homeowners on mortgages they couldn't afford. You're right about one thing, you haven't made up for much (not by losing everything, anyway, you may have turned the leaf in other ways not shared on here.) Personally, I find you reprehensible for the comment under the CEC article, and this here, meh, not so much. The consumers have just as much responsibility in a mortgage transaction as the mortgage broker does. I passed on 2 home purchases between 2005 and 2007 because the flow-chart math being performed by the seller didn't make any sense whatsoever.

Gat2KeepOnMovin

PS: Don't think I will make it. I've got a job. But I hope you enjoy your EBT taco.

Gat2KeepOnMovin

Pretty easy to figure out: You want to dictate how everyone else lives-- and threaten violence in order to silence anyone who disagrees with you. Thankfully you are emasculated with no real power.

Robert Smith, LF

4 hours and counting. Signed - Liberal Fascist - whatever the hell that's supposed to be.

TheRealDirtyP1

I was given the same advice by Countrywide when I wanted to refinance. I was skeptical, we've never been late on our payments or missed one. I was talking to a couple of friends on my softball team, and they went through the process. These guys were hit hard by the economy, couldn't find work for almost a year. They went through the process and dropped their mortgage payments from around $1800/mo to $1200/mo and 10 years less on their note. They've told the story multiple times and have no reason to lie about it so I'm 100% sure this kind of advice is given quite often. I'm not sure why some people get foreclosed on and others don't....maybe BoA doesn't know wtf is going on and the foreclosure process is longer than Chase.

Brenda Marks

Oops. Wrong piece. Sorry.

Brenda Marks

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is led by people who are interested in one thing -- and it's not providing good, affordable health care to uninsured Texans. It's mission is to prove Governor Perry's premise that poor, uninsured people aren't entitled to health care. So far, Perry's premise is winning.