Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California
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Showing posts with label dismissed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dismissed. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

False Racial Discrimination Case Against Appraiser Dismissed, Daviola-Turner v Henley Appraisals, by Mary Cummins


In this case a borrower didn't like the appraisal value and sued for discrimination. They believe they were discriminated against because they were an African American and Canadian couple. Yes, they believe they were discriminated against individually because one was Canadian. How would the appraiser even know their nationality? This frivolous case was just dismissed. 

The ONLY reason some of these have been settled is because plaintiffs use HUD supported and paid for private nonprofit fair housing organizations to sue appraisers. They win because defendants can't afford to keep replying. This is financial bullying at its finest. Thank god this defendant could financially last through the expensive frivolous litigation. 

Case Dismissed: Ohio Appraiser Wins Discrimination Lawsuit

"There have been over a half dozen lawsuits against real estate appraisers alleging discrimination within the last four years. Several have settled quietly for high-five or low six-figure sums. And one very public lawsuit, Connolly and Mott v. Lanham et al in Maryland, is still ongoing—with the appraiser countersuing the plaintiffs for defamation (For more, read Appraiser Countersues Black Plaintiffs Who Alleged Discrimination and click here to donate to Shane Lanham's GoFundMe litigation defense fund).

In a historic court ruling, the appraisal profession now has a legal precedent for an appraiser winning in court against charges of appraisal discrimination. In the case of Daviola-Turner v. Henley Appraisals LLC et al, Judge Walter Rice of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio granted Henley's Motion to Dismiss and effectively dismissed the Turner's appraisal discrimination case against Henley."

This is the important part of the decision. Basically you can't just accuse someone of discrimination. You must provide some physical evidence and causation. Plaintiffs did not.

"While the Henley appraisal resulted in a valuation $185,000 lower than the one conducted a year later…Plaintiffs conclude that this must mean that the valuation is unreasonable, they lack sufficient factual allegations to adequately plead this claim. Plaintiffs here include no such allegations about similarly situated homeowners who were also appraised by Henley. While there is no requirement that Plaintiffs must provide allegations that detail disparate impact or direct evidence of the discrimination, the Court is not required to blindly ignore the obvious alternative theory: that Henley honestly thought the property was worth the amount that he appraised it for. Merely stating that Henley discriminated against the Turners, is insufficient as a matter of law under Rule 8(a)."


Full opinion March 11, 2025


Case data

U.S. District Court

Southern District of Ohio (Dayton)

CIVIL DOCKET FOR CASE #: 3:23-cv-00371-WHR-CHG


Carlos Turner et al v. Henley Appraisals, LLC et al

Assigned to: Judge Walter H. Rice

Referred to: Magistrate Judge Caroline H. Gentry

Demand: $25,000

Cause: 42:405 Fair Housing Act

Date Filed: 12/14/2023

Jury Demand: Both

Nature of Suit: 443 Civil Rights: Accomodations

Jurisdiction: Federal Question

12/14/2023 1 COMPLAINT with JURY DEMAND for Violations of the Fair Housing Act against All Defendants ( Filing fee $ 405 paid - receipt number: AOHSDC-9729705), filed by Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, Inc., Diana Davoli-Turner, Carlos Turner. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet Cover Sheet, # 2 Summons Form Henley-LLC-Summons, # 3 Summons Form Kevin-Henley-Summons, # 4 Summons Form U.S. Bank Summons) (Davis, Charles) (Entered: 12/14/2023)

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin

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Friday, April 4, 2025

Court Dismisses Discrimination Claims Against Appraiser by Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser


Henley's Motion to Dismiss, Doc. #28, is SUSTAINED.

Link to case below

"A federal judge has dismissed all claims against an appraiser and their firm in a lawsuit alleging discrimination in a home valuation. The court found that the plaintiffs failed to establish a viable legal claim against the appraiser, ruling that their allegations did not sufficiently demonstrate wrongdoing under applicable laws.

The case centered on a disputed appraisal that plaintiffs claimed was racially biased. However, the judge determined that the appraiser’s valuation process did not support a claim of discrimination. With this ruling, the appraiser and their firm are no longer part of the lawsuit.

While claims against the appraiser were dismissed, the court allowed certain claims against a bank to proceed, focusing on the bank’s lending policies and loan approval decisions. These claims will be evaluated further as the case moves forward. Specifically, the plaintiffs claim the bank applied different loan-to-value (LTV) ratios based on race and national origin, offering more favorable terms to white borrowers. They also allege the bank refused to finalize a loan application with better terms due to discriminatory policies. Additionally, the plaintiffs argue the bank maintained a policy preventing borrowers from appealing appraisals they believed to be discriminatory. The bank contends that loan denials were based on credit history rather than discrimination, the court determined that the plaintiffs presented enough evidence for these claims to proceed.

Negligent Hiring, Training, and Supervision

The court also allowed claims against the bank regarding negligent hiring, training, and supervision of employees. Plaintiffs argue that bank employees failed to properly evaluate loan applications, process appraisal appeals and oversee contracted appraisers. The court found that these allegations were specific enough to warrant further examination.

Implications for Appraisers

This case—Carlos Turner, et al. v. Henley Appraisals, LLC, et al. (Case No. 3:23-cv-371) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Western Division—highlights the importance of clear appeal mechanisms for borrowers who suspect discrimination and raises questions about lender oversight of the appraisal process. Appraisers should stay informed on evolving legal standards and lender policies to ensure compliance and fairness in their work."

Link to case ruling. Large file but only 28 pages.

https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/ohio/ohsdce/3:2023cv00371/286793/33/0.pdf

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin

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Sunday, June 5, 2005

Mary Cummins wins Kathy Knight-McConnell lawsuit as a pro se, Mary Cummins

On July 7, 2003, Kathy Knight-McConnell sued Mary Cummins for securities law violations, trademark infringement, defamation, and other claims in federal court in New York. At the time of the litigation, Knight-McConnell ran a forum for investor discussions and published a newsletter on various stocks. According to a court decision in the case, Cummins, a stock trader from California, posted statements on website discussion groups and on her own website describing Knight-McConnell as a securities fraud "criminal" and "paid to lie to investors," among other things.

In addition, Knight-McConnell alleged that Cummins intentionally maligned certain stocks that she promoted in order to drive their price down in violation of the securities laws. Knight-McConnell also claimed that Cummins violated trademark law by linking to Knight-McConnell's website without permission, using Knight-McConnell's name in the post-domain path of URLs for seven of her web-pages, and posting links on Internet chat forums and discussion boards directing users to visit these pages.

In a July 2004 opinion, Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald dismissed the securities and trademark claims. The court indicated that Knight-McConnell had no standing to bring a securities law claim because she did not allege that she purchased or sold the stocks in question in reliance on any statement by Cummins. The court dismissed the trademark claim because linking to Knight-McConnell's site without permission was not likely to cause confusion as a matter of law:

"Even if we assume that plaintiff's name is a valid and protectible mark, plaintiff has not alleged that the defendant engaged in any conduct that is likely to cause confusion as to the origin of the defendant's website. The mere appearance on a website of a hyperlink to another site will not lead a web-user to conclude that the owner of the site he is visiting is associated with the owner of the linked site. This is particularly true in this case because defendant's website advertises real estate and web design services, not investment services, and defendant is continuously dissassociating herself from plaintiff by criticizing her and accusing her of misconduct."

Judge Buchwald also determined that using Knight-McConnell's name in URL paths was not likely to cause confusion as a matter of law because a URL "merely shows how the website's data is organized within the host computer's files" and does not suggest affiliation, source, or sponsorship.

Looking at Knight-McConnell's many state law claims, Judge Buchwald determined that the complaint likely stated a cause of action for defamation, but that a defamation claim was not sufficient to confer personal jurisdiction on the court. Buchwald indicated that Knight-McConnell's tortious interference with contract claim might be sufficient to establish jurisdiction under New York's long-arm statute, but that Knight-McConnell had failed to adequately plead this cause of action. The court dismissed the complaint without prejudice and granted Knight-McConnell permission to amend her complaint.

Knight-McConnell amended her complaint, but, upon a renewed motion by Cummins, Judge Buchwald dismissed the case for lack of personal jurisdiction in June 2005.

Full docket report
http://www.freecourtdockets.com/Dockets/Knight-McConnell-v-Cummins-1-03-cv-05035-New-York-Southern-Federal-District-Court-Docket-Page-1-87407-87407.htm

Independent review of the case by Citizen Media Law Project. I have no idea why these people had an interest in this frivolous case. Of course this was the very beginning of internet law.
http://www.citmedialaw.org/threats/knight-mcconnell-v-cummins

Mary Cummins is a real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California. She also advocates for the protection of investors from stock scams especially those perpetrated by company paid stock promoters. She aided the SEC in their prosecution of stock promoter John Westergaard in 2000 and 2001. She also warned investors about stock scams involving the following companies, TMOT Titan Motorcycle Company, EZR Easyriders, UMCC Ultra Motorcycle Company, NPCT Nanopierce, JNOT Jag Notes and others.

Kathy Knight-McConnell was a company paid stock promoter at the time of the lawsuit. She worked for Nanopierce symbol NPCT. NPCT was never profitable.

Here is her old website. I saved copies of all of it. Click "about" to see her photo of herself. Click "boycott raging bull" to see how she feels about me. Click "NPCT" to see her paid tout job.
http://web.archive.org/web/20030206180859/http://investortoinvestor.com/

Pdf copy of the docket from Pacer

http://www.marycummins.com/kathy_knight-mcconnell_vs_mary_cummins_docket.pdf


I wish I could find her original complaint. I had to read it three times just to try to figure out what the hell she was suing me for. It was all over the place. Finally figured it out and replied.

May 25, 2004. MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF
DEFENDANT’S RULE 12(b) MOTIONS TO DISMISS FOR LACK OF
SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION, LACK OF PERSONAL
JURISDICTION, IMPROPER VENUE, and FAILURE TO STATE A CLAIM

http://www.marycummins.com/knight_mcconnell_motion_to_dismiss.pdf

Knight-McConnell then filed a motion to strike my motion to dismiss claiming I had a ghost writer. March 25, 2005 Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald orders me to "send an affidavit attesting to the fact and explaining how you obtained the legal scholarship that is reflected in the motion papers." It's called being stressed out of your mind that you are being sued so you stay up many long nights researching how to write and file papers. This was also my second pro se lawsuit as a defendant. I was previously sued for something similar in a Philadelphia court, see Ashton Technology vs Mary Cummins. I learned a lot from JohnDoes.org . They pointed me in the right direction to similar cases. I also learned a lot from Silicon Investor "Investment chat board lawsuits" thread. A lawyer did not write any of my documents or help me in any way.

http://www.marycummins.com/knight_Mcconnel_judge_order.pdf

April 26, 2005. The judge is satisfied with my affidavit. Plaintiff's motion to strike defendant's motion to dismiss is denied.

http://www.marycummins.com/knight_mcconnell_motion_denied.pdf

Knight-McConnell filed an amended complaint and I replied
http://www.marycummins.com/mary_cummins_reply_to_knight-mcconnel_amended_complaint.pdf

PIKE & FISCHER INTERNET LAW & REGULATION review of case. Note, I never had to pay any fees because the court never had jurisdiction over me. I should have never been served in the first place. The final current docket reflects this. I'm amazed they wrote such a lengthy article about this frivolous case. This was the beginning of internet law so maybe that's it. Or maybe it was because it was a pro se vs a pro se?

http://techlawadvisor.com/docs/knight-mcconnell.pdf

I found my old due diligence page for Kathy. None of the links work. Note, the photo of Kathy in question was posted on the main page of her own website. I added the "toxic funding is awesome!" part, that's it. This is a photo she herself had on the main page of her website.

http://www.marycummins.com/kathy_knight-mcconnel_stock_promoter.html

Mary Cummins wins lawsuit, Los Angeles, California, real estate, Animal Advocates

Mary Cummins wins lawsuit, Los Angeles, California, real estate, Animal Advocates

Mary Cummins wins lawsuit, Los Angeles, California, real estate, Animal Advocates

Mary Cummins wins lawsuit, Los Angeles, California, real estate, Animal Advocates

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin DISCLAIMER: https://mary--cummins.blogspot.com/p/disclaimer-privacy-policy-for-blogs-by.html