Matteson woman claims her belongings were taken from rental home during foreclosure

Several companies are being sued by a woman who claims they failed to ascertain the occupancy status of a home she was renting before they foreclosed on it.

Lazenia Adams filed a lawsuit April 2 in the Cook County Circuit Court against U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee for BNC Mortgage Loan Trust 2007-2 Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates Series 2007-2, Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC, Altisource Portfolio Solutions Inc. and Home Shield Solutions LLC.

Her suit includes counts alleging wrongful and constructive eviction, breach of the covenant of quiet enjoyment, conversion, trespass to land and chattels and intrusion.

According to the complaint, Adams rented a home in Matteson from a man referred to in the suit as Mr. Thomas from March 2007 until February 2013. Thomas, the suit states, took out a loan secured by a mortgage on the premises and then stopped paying the mortgage loan held by U.S. Bank.

The bank filed a foreclosure action on June 13, 2012, and the court approved the judicial sale of the property, according to the suit.

Adams, however, claims she was unaware of the foreclosure until Feb. 4, 2013, when she was locked out of her home and directed to contact Home Shield. After multiple phone calls, she claims it was arranged for her to move out her belongings on March 1, 2013, but that the property was still locked when she arrived on that date.

After making additional phone calls, Adams claims she went to the property to move her belongings out on March 20, 2013, but that Altisource employees were loading her possessions onto a truck and refused to let her take them.

She asserts that when she was finally allowed to retrieve her possessions, there was nothing left in the home and that almost all of her personal belongings, business records and assets were stolen, thrown away or converted by the defendants.

Adams is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages and is being represented in the case by the Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing and Megan B. Poetzel, Michaelene R. Martin and Justin Steffen of Jenner & Block LLP.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L003756.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.