03/31/2026
Yesterday morning, while all of Connecticut was basking in the glow of that amazing 3-pointer that put the UConn Men’s basketball team into the Final Four, I was yelling at and cheering at another screen. Since about a year into Covid, the entire foreclosure court docket has been held via video. That means every Monday morning, I “attend” court from my desk, watching the judge “appear” on the “bench” in the form of a 2-inch square on my screen. Also on the screen are the faces of the clerk and all the other lawyers or homeowners who have a case on the same docket. Everyone stays on mute while other cases are heard, so you can listen in on what is going on in various other matters.
There were six cases on my docket yesterday, and I was called last. So I sat through five other cases- some were disposed of quickly, some the homeowner tried to make an argument that would save their home or buy them a little more time. Case number five was about to proceed through to the order of a foreclosure auction, when the judge pointed out that the homeowners had “filed appearances” the week before. This means the homeowners filled out forms to let the court know they wanted to represent themselves. The judge then asked the lawyer for the mortgage company whether “all the defaults were in order”—meaning, had the procedural steps taken place that would permit the judge to enter judgment and schedule the auction.
From my perspective, when I heard that the homeowners had filed their appearances, I knew the judge couldn’t proceed. There’s a quirk in our civil process here in Connecticut that even late in the game, under certain circumstances a defendant may start the clock over merely by getting a lawyer or letting the court know they want to represent themselves. But it didn’t appear that the judge or the lawyer for the bank understood this for a minute or two.
What I heard was that the homeowners finally took a step to help themselves.
You should have heard me (still on mute) yelling at my screen!
I used to coach high school field hockey- and this case dredged up those feelings you get when the kids aren’t passing like they should. Instead of “Hit it to Jessica! She’s open!” “Don’t block the goalie, let her see!”, I was like, “You can’t enter judgment! They filed appearances! Why don’t you order the case into mediation? Send them into mediation!”
And the judge did! He didn’t enter judgment or schedule a foreclosure auction, and he did order the case into the mediation program. You should have seen me—seriously—cheering with two fists in the air. It was all I could to not to imitate that soccer announcer and shout, “Gooooooooooaaaaaaal!”
Then I just started laughing because I saw the parallel. Helping homeowners in foreclosure is hard. There’s a lot of pressure. There’s a lot at stake. There aren’t as many victories for my clients as I would like, so I have to enjoy the small wins, even when it’s a total stranger who gets another shot.
The only part of that UConn game I watched (don’t hate me) was that last 5 seconds, but I could absolutely appreciate how the stars aligned and allowed that moment to happen. There was a lot of pressure, there was a lot at stake.
A win is a win, whether it’s your alma mater doing what it does best, or knowing a homeowner has a second chance. They both deserve a celebration. (Photo of another amazing moment in sports- or did they just hear another homeowner got out of foreclosure?)
