Smith Osburn Cross

"I was in a dispute with my HOA regarding an electronic gate. I looked for an attorney in a panic and the only law firm that said I had a case was Brook Osburn. I wish they had told me NO. It’s 3-5yrs since I paid the final judgement and I’m just beginning to emerge from the debt. I paid appx $20K in legal fees and $25K in settlement and $5K for a gate the I had to ultimately remove. Brooke wasn’t even successful at reducing the settlement amount. For the last 5yrs it’s all I can do to keep my head above water and every night I pray for my roof because I still can’t afford the deductible. It ate up every single bit of inheritance my father left me. I'm an accountant and pride myself on being frugal & fiscally responsible. I filed for bankruptcy on the advice of counsel (Brooke Osburn) to avoid judgement and even that failed because the type of legal judgement didn’t qualify for bankruptcy. Not only did it fail but my credit was left in shambles. I’m still digging myself out of debt but the only real way to remedy my debt is to sell the home I thought I would retire in. I am still broke & in debt all these years later and the HOA and my attorney walked away happy. This law firm never matched the aggression of the HOA attorney’s and was afraid of the court. When I asked why we didn’t challenge something it was because we didn’t want to anger the judge. We even perjured the HOA on the witness stand and we didn’t even challenge that... because the judge. We even proved the spoiled evidence and submitted a filing and did nothing when the judge didn’t act because… the judge. We even appealed the judge’s ruling but it went nowhere. My other regret was accepting a bench (judge) hearing instead of jury on the advice of counsel. It got to the point that I thought my representation was working against me. If you find yourself in dispute with the HOA just walk away. If you use this firm, it will only result in you walking away broke and in years of financial ruin. Don't be me."