In month ten, the bank filed a foreclosure lawsuit.
Illinois is a judicial foreclosure state, which means the bank can’t just take a house. It has to go to court. Sarah explained it to me over a video call, because the bank’s lawyers had sent a copy of the complaint to my old address, and my mother had forwarded it to Sarah’s office with a note scrawled across the top in shaky handwriting: “FOR NAOMI. PLEASE HELP.”
“You’re not a defendant,” Sarah said. “You’re not named anywhere in the complaint. The defendants are your mother and Brent, as the owners. The bank says they’re nine months behind. With late fees and legal costs, the amount to bring the loan current is about $28,000. The full balance is a little over $310,000.”
“What happens now?”
“Now it goes through the court process. That takes months. Your mother and Brent will have chances to catch up, to work out a modification with the bank, or to sell the house themselves before it goes to a sheriff’s sale. The court even has a mediation program for this. If they sold now, Naomi, they’d probably walk away with a good amount of money. The house is worth around $480,000.”
“Have they done any of that?”
Sarah sighed. “Your mother called my office twice. Both times, she asked me to call you. I told her I can’t represent her, because I represent you. I gave her the number for a free housing counseling agency and the legal aid hotline. I don’t know if she called.”
“Do I have any liability? Anything at all?”
“No. You were never on the loan. Your credit is untouched.”
“Then let it go,” I said.
Sarah was quiet on her end of the line. Then she said, “Are you sure, Naomi? That was your childhood home. Your father built that patio with his own hands.”
“My father died in that house,” I said softly. “And he isn’t in the bricks, Sarah. He’s in me. The people living in that house now ruined every good memory I had of it. If they want to save it, they have every chance. They own it. Not me.”
Specialty: Legal & Financial Drama
Michael Carter covers stories where money, power, and personal history collide. His writing often explores courtroom battles, business conflicts, and the subtle strategies people use when pushed into a corner. He focuses on grounded, realistic storytelling with attention to detail and believable motivations.