Deatherage Awarded VLP “Lawyer of the Month”
Obtains Favorable Results in Pro Bono Home Equity Fraud Trial

Mark Deatherage was honored as a “Lawyer of the Month” by the Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP) for the time he dedicated to a pro bono case involving home equity fraud. His work resulted in a favorable jury verdict for the clients, who were given back their home and awarded more than $400,000 in damages.

In this case, referred by the VLP, two Spanish-speaking brothers purchased a family home in 1988 in Phoenix, Arizona. The brothers worked for 20 years to build equity in the home until they fell victim to a mortgage fraud scheme. The brothers were introduced to a local company and told that documents they were signing were for a short term loan to assist with their mortgage payments. In reality, the documents transferred title of their home to the company at the center of a fraud scheme that victimized hundreds of Arizona homeowners. The brothers ultimately lost the house and were evicted with their families.

Since 1981, the Volunteer Lawyers Program has united those in need with volunteer attorneys whose counsel gives thousands of Arizonans new hope for a better life. VLP is co-sponsored by Community Legal Services and the Maricopa County Bar Association.

Mark has practiced for nearly 25 years in the area of commercial litigation, representing individuals in a wide variety of local and regional businesses in state and federal court litigation and dispute resolution. He has extensive experience in cases involving real estate development, contract, and title disputes, trademark and copyright infringement, business torts and contracts, creditors’ rights, and professional sports industry litigation.