Foreclosure Causes Wrongful Death

Wanda Jo Engel, the wife of Harry Engel, has decided to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase in lieu of her husband's death back in 2009—which she claims was caused by a wrongful home foreclosure. Engel alleges that her husband suffered a heart attack after receiving notice that JPMorgan Chase, the defendant in the suit, intended to foreclose their home and evict them from the property. She claims that the news had caused too much stress for her husband to handle and subsequently resulted in his untimely death. Chase has not yet commented on these allegations other than to say that "there are serious factual inaccuracies in the filing"—as they claim that they had not yet initiated the foreclosure of the Engels' home at the time of Harry's death.

The Engels had lived in their home for more than 22 years, but ran into financial trouble early in 2009 when they received a letter from the bank advising them to refinance their loan. The couple visited the bank and spoke to a member of the staff who consequently advised them to miss a mortgage payment in order to more easily qualify for government refinancing assistance. When it came time to make their next payment, they acted as instructed, and intentionally failed to make the payment. The couple later discovered that their request for the refinancing program had been denied, and that they were now required to get back on track with their payments.

Because they had been poorly advised, they had already spent the money that they would have usually put aside for the mortgage payment. Shortly after, the Engel's received notice from the bank that they would be initiating the foreclosure process. Just days after receiving the devastating news, 79 year old Harry Engel collapsed in his home and subsequently died of a heart attack. Wanda Jo now believes that JPMorgan Chase should be held responsible. The bank stands firm in their defense, however, stating that they had never actually given notice that the foreclosure process had been started. Engel denies this, claiming that the wrongful foreclosure of her home was what had caused the unjustified death of her husband.

If you have suffered the unjustified loss of a loved one, you should not hesitate to take legal action—just as Wanda Jo Engel has done. Although monetary compensation cannot bring back the life of loved one, it is a way to seek justice for an undeserved death. If you are uncertain about whether or not you have a valid claim, you should not hesitate to contact a qualified attorney. At the Whitley Law Firm, our dedicated legal team is ready to help, so don't wait to obtain the help you will need.