Success Stories

Our clients suffered a severe setback to their family farming business when a large business partner breached their agreement, and left our clients with massive debts that they could not afford on their own.  Our clients were straddled with multiple debts that they could not pay, including about 15 different creditor accounts.  As a result, our clients were being hounded daily by collection agencies and multiple debt collection lawsuits were filed against them.  Fortunately, they found Cate Legal Group to help manage their overwhelming debt situation.  Upon being retained, Cate Legal Group immediately sent cease and desist letters to all of the clients' creditors and filed formal responses in their pending lawsuits.  Over a two-year period, Cate Legal Group was able to settle all of the clients' collections lawsuits, and negotiate reasonable settlements with our client's other creditors.  These included payoff of a business loan with an outstanding balance of $22,463 at a discount for $8,500.  The clients were also able to settle their lawsuit with American Express at a 40% discount.   The clients were also able to negotiate discounted repayment of their SBA loan for the original principal balance only, saving them thousands of dollars.   

In another matter, our client was served with a lawsuit from LVNC Funding, LLC and their law firm Resurgence Legal Group, PC, seeking a judgment of $5,560 based on outstanding credit card debt.  After formally responding to the lawsuit in court, we were able to negotiate a settlement for our client of $2,500 with monthly payments of $625.  Ultimately, our client saved $3,000 and the burden of an outstanding judgment accruing interest on an ongoing basis at 10% annually.  

Another one of our clients was being sued by American Express for $22,411.73 based on alleged credit card debt.  Cate Legal Group was retained and formally responded to the lawsuit.  Although American Express was demanding full payment in addition to attorney's fees, we negotiated a settlement of $10,000.00, payable over a ten-month period.  Our client saved $12,411.73 (approximately 55% of the amount due).

One of our clients was being sued by American Express for $72,125 for a purportedly unpaid credit card debt.  We were hired to defend the lawsuit.  When the creditor stopped showing up in court, we secured a dismissal of the collections lawsuit, with prejudice, and the creditor was permanently barred from enforcing the debt. 

Once a judgment has entered in a lawsuit, the judgment creditor has the right to attempt to collect on that judgment by levying/freezing the funds in bank accounts of the defendant, up to the amount due on the judgment.  The judgment creditor also has the right to garnish wages from the judgment debtor, up to the statutory limits provided by law.  Oftentimes, these levies and garnishments may be reversed for up to 90 days after the money has been taken, under 11 U.S.C. section 522, if a bankruptcy case is filed on behalf of the judgment debtor.  Also these garnishments and levies can be eliminated outside the bankruptcy system through the court exemption process or direct negotiations with the creditor.

Our client owed Ford Motor Credit $15,629 based on a defaulted auto loan.  The auto creditor was successful in getting a judgment against her and was also successful in garnishing her wages for more than two months.  At that point, our client retained Cate Legal Group to file chapter 7 bankruptcy.  Upon the filing of her case, this garnishment was immediately frozen.  The client received a refund of all the money that had been garnished from per paycheck, and received a chapter 7 discharge of the judgment, and for all of her other debts as well.

Our client had a judgment entered against him by Navy Federal Credit Union $21,976.  Without warning, the judgment creditor levied $4,500 from our client's bank account.  Our client needed this money for general living expenses and his mortgage payments.  We filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy on behalf of the client, and were able to obtain a refund of the full $4,500 that was levied from our client's bank account and a chapter 7 discharge of all of the client's unsecured debts.  Our client was also able to keep their house as "exempt" property in the bankruptcy case.

Our client came to us after having signed up with another law firm to recover surplus foreclosure proceeds, after the foreclosure of her deceased father's residence.  Before coming to Cate Legal Group, our client learned that her former attorneys were engaged in fraud, and also unable to procure the surplus proceeds existing after the foreclosure sale.  Cate Legal Group was retained and immediately filed a civil action for declaratory relief (to declare that our client's former attorneys lien on a third of the recovery was void) and a petition for recovery of the surplus proceeds.  We were successful in voiding the lien of our client's former law firm, and ultimately obtained receipt of $239,293 in surplus foreclosure proceeds for our client.

We helped another client obtain surplus foreclosure proceeds as a judgment creditor of the party primarily entitled to receipt thereof.  After substituting into our client's matter, in which he was the judgment creditor, we took appropriate action to place a lien on the judgment debtor's interest in the surplus foreclosure proceeds.  Thereafter, we were able to petition the court for the surplus proceeds and successfully obtain $87,344.28 for our client.

Bank of America started foreclosure on a clients' property, threatening to wipe out the client's equity (nearly half-million dollar life savings that he had used as a down payment to purchase the house).  Cate Legal Group helped the clients fight multiple foreclosure sales by applying for loan modifications, filing lawsuit in California Superior Court (and obtaining a temporary restraining order (TRO) temporarily stopping the foreclosure process), and representing our clients with respect to multiple bankruptcy filings.  Eventually, over seven years later, in 2020 when real estate prices increased dramatically and the client was able to sell his property and was able to realize substantially more than his original down payment.   We helped our client fight against the bank's foreclosure sale for over seven years, in litigation and bankruptcy proceedings, and the client was eventually was able to save his property and preserve his valuable equity in the property.

Our client was facing dire circumstances and looming foreclosure sale when he retained Cate Legal Group.  We filed a chapter 13 bankruptcy case for our client to stop the pending foreclosure sale. During the bankruptcy process, our client was able to obtain a loan modification for his first trust deed.  Cate Legal Group also filed a motion to strip the foreclosing second trust deed from the property as unsecured under the Bankruptcy Code.  Because Cate Legal Group diligently prosecuted our client's lien strip motion and prepared for contested evidentiary hearing, on the eve of the lender's appraiser's deposition, the lender agreed to settle the case giving our client a deal containing a modified loan containing favorable terms.  This ultimately allowed our client to promptly exit the bankruptcy system and start paying a new manageable loan payment on his second loan.  Our client obtained an amazing result because, in the event of foreclosure, he was facing a life with no possibility of retirement and possibly homelessness.  Our client went from a situation where he faced almost certain foreclosure, to being current on both of his mortgages (both with reasonable modified monthly payments).  Because of this, he was able to move forward renting multiple rooms in his house (generating substantial positive cash-flow) and was able to comfortably retire.  

Our client was seriously behind on three of her mortgages, secured by her beautiful ranch property that she lived on.  She came to Cate Legal Group due to a foreclosure sale set by one of the lenders.  We filed a chapter 13 bankruptcy case for our client.  The bankruptcy case stopped the foreclosure and allowed our client to repay her arrears through her monthly plan.  Over a period of years, and through a number of bankruptcy cases, and a state court lawsuit, our client was able to obtain a loan modification for one of her mortgages.  We also assisted the client with a creative partial sale of the property, ultimately saving the client's property in what had appeared to be a hopeless situation.    

Our client's property was sold at foreclosure sale.  However, our client was in luck because they hired Cate Legal Group shortly after the sale.  We filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court and recorded a lis pendens.  The recorded lis pendens prevented the foreclosure trustee's deed upon sale from being recorded after the sale.  After engaging in the court, the lender agreed to voluntarily reverse the foreclosure sale based on prejudicial and material defects contained in the lender's notice of default and notice of sale.  Ultimately the lawsuit was dismissed, and our client was able to successfully avoid foreclosure.

Our clients' home was on the brink of foreclosure when they came to Cate Legal Group.  We filed a lawsuit and were able to obtain a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Superior Court stopping the lender's foreclosure sale.  Shortly thereafter, in exchange for dismissal of the lawsuit, the lender entered into a settlement agreement with our clients giving them modified loan terms including a lower interest rate and deferred non-interest bearing principal.  The new modified loan allowed our clients to keep their home and continue to live there.

Cate Legal Group helped our client avoid foreclosure of his family home by filing a state court lawsuit.  Cate Legal Group filed a lawsuit against the lender, and after the case was filed Cate Legal Group was able to obtain a temporary restraining order (TRO) temporarily stopping the foreclosure sale.  We were then able to negotiate a written stipulation with the lender to postpone the foreclosure during the remainder of the lawsuit.  Eventually, we were able to obtain a favorable settlement for the client, dismissing the lawsuit in exchange for our client receiving a modified mortgage loan, with a reduced interest rate and other advantageous terms.

When our client came to us, he was engaged in a chapter 13 bankruptcy and a state court lawsuit (based on faulty repairs to his home) with other law firms.  When Cate Legal Group was retained, our client's mortgage lender had just obtained an order for relief from the automatic stay, and began resuming the ongoing foreclosure proceedings.  With the foreclosure sale just days away, Cate Legal Group immediately filed another chapter 13 case, with its own (new) automatic stay, and was able to stop the foreclosure sale.  In our client's new chapter 13 bankruptcy case, our client was able to successfully negotiate with his lender for a modified loan agreement, allowing him to dismiss his bankruptcy case.  Due to the favorable agreement with his mortgage lender, our client was able to retain his home and retain over $1,500,000 in equity that would have surely been lost had the property been sold in a foreclosure sale.  

Our client was facing a foreclosure sale on their residence in San Diego.  We helped our client defend against the bank's foreclosure action in bankruptcy court and then in state court litigation.  Ultimately after a long fight, the bank foreclosed on the property.  However due to our diligence and continued follow-up, Cate Legal Group was able to broker a deal with the lender to voluntarily reverse the bank's foreclosure sale and obtain a loan modification for our client.  Our clients were ultimately able to keep their property and exit the foreclosure process with a mortgage loan modified on favorable terms.

Our clients were drowning in household debt and obtained a chapter 7 discharge for over $265,000 of unsecured debt, while keeping the family residence and vehicles.

Our client was facing foreclosure from her homeowner's association and was struggling with her family's four outstanding auto loans.  Cate Legal Group filed a chapter 13 bankruptcy for our client and was able to stop the client's pending foreclosure sale.  We filed a plan of reorganization for our client that allowed her to re-pay her homeowner's association dues over five years.  We were also able to negotiate crammed-down balances on four of our client's vehicles, because the value of these vehicles had fallen below their respective loan balances.  This allowed the client to keep all of her family vehicles, while paying off the remainder of the auto loan payments on a discounted basis.  Our client completed the chapter 13 bankruptcy process and exited the bankruptcy system with no real estate arrears and modified auto loans.

Our client was facing a foreclosure sale of one of her rental properties.  Cate Legal Group filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court, and was able to obtain a temporary restraining order from the court, stopping the foreclosure sale.  Later, the court declined to continue to issue a preliminary injunction, further extending the temporary restraining order.  When the lender proceeded to continue with the foreclosure proceedings, we filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy for our client's company ​that was the title owner of the client's property, again stopping the foreclosure sale.  We were then able to facilitate a controlled sale of the client's property through her chapter 7 bankruptcy case, ultimately resulting in our client receiving a check for over $160,000 in proceeds from the sale.  Had the property sold at foreclosure, our client undoubtedly would have lost the property and received no money from the sale.       

Our client was facing foreclosure sale against his primary residence.  Cate Legal Group filed a chapter 13 bankruptcy case, stopping the foreclosure sale and allowing our client the opportunity to repay his mortgage arrears over the course of his five-year bankruptcy plan.  About one year into his bankruptcy case, our client was able to obtain a modification of his mortgage loan.  This allowed him to exit the bankruptcy system early and continue a new modified monthly mortgage payment that fit within his budget.

Our client was facing foreclosure and had just been dismissed from her chapter 13 case she had filed with another attorney.  With only days from another foreclosure sale Cate Legal Group filed another chapter 13 bankruptcy case for the client, and was able to obtain an order extending the automatic stay in that new bankruptcy case.  Our client was able to cure her substantial arrears with her first trust deed lender through her five-year plan.  Also, because our client's second trust deed of $151,442, was completely unsecured by the existing equity in her residence, we were able to successfully entirely "strip" the second lien and discharge the debt as unsecured in her bankruptcy.  Our client exited her bankruptcy, not only being current on her first mortgage and no longer facing foreclosure, but also with her former second trust deed being permanently removed from her property.

Our client was contacted by an aggressive chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee, demanding $50,000 from our client based on money she had received as a part of her divorce settlement.  Because her ex-husband had filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy case, the bankruptcy estate had the right to recover property and assets deemed to belong to the estate under 11 U.S.C. sections 547 and 548 as avoidable preferential transfers.  Based on demand correspondence that Cate Legal Group wrote to the bankruptcy trustee, the trustee ultimately abandoned the bankruptcy estate's claims against our client, and our client did not have to pay return anything at all to the bankruptcy estate. 

Faced with the loss of his primary residence based on a looming, six-figure business judgment, we helped our elderly client file a chapter 7 bankruptcy case where he was able to discharge the entire obligation along with his other unsecured debts.  This resulted in our client was able to keep his home and be free of the burdensome business debt that had been following him for years. 

Our clients were facing foreclosure of their primary residence and potentially the loss of all of the lifetime worth of equity that they had accumulated in their home.  Cate Legal Group filed a chapter 13 bankruptcy case for our clients and was able to postpone the foreclosure sale.  While our clients were not able to complete their Chapter 13 case, the bankruptcy matter gave our clients enough time to arrange the sale of their property to a third-party buyer.  The sale was completed just after the bankruptcy case closed, with the clients retaining the substantial equity that they had in their property (that would have most likely been lost had the property been sold at foreclosure).

Our client was the victim of real estate fraud, where a former business partner had stolen approximately $1,652,000 from our client through the use of false deeds and lies.  These deceptive acts included the former business partner selling our clients real property (but failing to record the deed transferring the property), and then also selling the same parcel of real property to another investor for almost a million dollars.  After multiple legal actions, Cate Legal Group eventually obtained a $1,652,000 non-dischargeable judgment for our clients when the defendant failed to appear at trial.

Our client was sued by his homeowner's association based on false allegations that our client had threatened the HOA's maintenance workers.  We obtained a judgment of dismissal against our client's homeowner's association, helping clear our client's good name, and avoid the disastrous consequences of an expensive money judgment and resulting lien against his real property.

Our client was the victim of unscrupulous foreclosure assistants who were paid to assist our client with the defense of multiple foreclosure actions against several of his rental properties.  Unfortunately, our client was left with five properties with errant deeds clouding title.  Cate Legal Group filed a quiet title lawsuit in Superior Court to remove the improper title interests that were clouding title.  Ultimately, we were able to obtain a recordable judgment for our client, removing the errant deed recordings on five of his properties, and making that so that he could again freely sell or refinance, without his previous title problems.  We gave our client relief from the damage caused by dishonest foreclosure defense companies that left him with clouded titles on his properties.

When our client was facing foreclosure of his home years ago, he was approached by unscrupulous foreclosure assistants posing as legitimate legal professionals.   While these purported foreclosure assistants ultimately helped our client avoid foreclosure, they did so with the use of false deeds recorded against our client's real property.  When our client came to Cate Legal Group years later, he was distressed because he was unable to sell or refinance his home due to the errant deed that had been recorded against his property in order to avoid foreclosure.  Cate Legal Group filed a quiet title action on our client's behalf, and successfully obtained a recordable judgment that removed the errant deed that was clouding the title to his home.  Our client was then able to sell or refinance his home without any problem, and move on with his life.

Our client entered into a contract to purchase an 18-unit apartment building on favorable terms.  When the seller reneged on the contract, our client contacted Cate Legal Group.  We sued the seller for specific performance of the real estate contract and placed a notice of lis pendens on the apartment building.  As a result of our swift action, the sellers promptly settled the lawsuit and transferred title to the apartment building to our client, per the terms of the parties' original agreement.  Our client was able to retain the advantageous deal he had negotiated and profit handsomely from the transaction.

Our client entered into a written agreement to purchase a large home in San Diego.  Unfortunately, the seller reneged on the deal and was threatening to sell the property to a different purchaser, for a much higher price.  Cate Legal Group filed an action in California Superior Court against the seller and new purchaser and filed a Notice of Pendency of Action (Lis Pendens) to stop the transfer and protect our client's interests.  Eventually, we were able to obtain a six-figure settlement for our client in exchange for dismissal of the lawsuit and release of our client's contract rights.

Our client had been told by his lender that his second trust deed on his home had been charged-off and forgiven.  However, when our client attempted to refinance his property he was unable to because the second trust deed was still recorded as a lien of record against his property.  Cate Legal Group sent demand correspondence to the original lender, and related parties, and was able to secure a formal recorded release of the client's zombie second trust deed.  The client was then free to sell or refinance without interference from the former deed of trust that was wrongfully encumbering the property.

Our client had built her retail clothing business under their trademarked name "Pay Attention."  Another company was seeking to register the same name, undercutting our client's legal rights to their name and trademark.  Cate Legal Group filed a Notice of Opposition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Trademark Trial and Appeal Board asserting our client's legal rights based on prior use and registration of the mark.  Ultimately, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board issued a judgment in our client's favor and denied registration of the third-party applicant's mark based on our client's established ownership of the mark.