Representation of owners, heirs, and estate fiduciaries in deed fraud, quiet title, fraudulent conveyance, partition, and HECM foreclosure matters before Queens County Supreme Court Civil Term at Jamaica. The firm maintains an active Queens real property docket.
Michel Law represents Queens County property owners, heirs, estate executors and administrators, and bona fide purchasers in contested real property matters before Queens County Supreme Court at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica.
The firm maintains an active Queens real property docket, with current matters involving deed fraud, Chapter 13 bankruptcy abuse, and downstream fraudulent transfers of Queens residential property. Queens has one of the highest incidences of deed fraud in New York State, driven by the county’s pattern of long-held family homes with significant equity and often absent or elderly record owners.
Every matter is handled directly by the managing attorney, Fabrice K. Michel. Representation is available in English and French.
Litigation to set aside forged, fraudulent, or wrongfully procured deeds affecting Queens residential property. Representation of record owners, heirs, and estate fiduciaries.
Response to serial Chapter 13 filings used to delay foreclosure, obstruct quiet title actions, or facilitate wrongful deed transfers. Coordination with E.D.N.Y. bankruptcy counsel.
Actions to determine rights, encumbrances, and adverse claims against Queens real property. Resolution of title defects and conflicting claims of ownership.
Claims to set aside transfers made with actual or constructive intent to hinder, delay, or defraud creditors or heirs under New York Debtor & Creditor Law.
Partition in kind and partition by sale of jointly owned Queens real property.
Resolution of real property issues arising in estate administration before the Queens Surrogate — wrongful transfers before death, elective-share issues, and property subject to contested probate.
Jurisdiction: All actions affecting title to Queens County real property, including quiet title under RPAPL Article 15, deed cancellation, fraudulent conveyance claims, partition actions, and mortgage foreclosure. Related ancillary proceedings before the Queens Surrogate at the same complex.
Queens has a pattern of long-held family homes with significant accumulated equity, often with elderly or deceased record owners whose deeds remain unchanged on ACRIS. Fraud rings target these properties, forge deeds, and transfer them to shell entities before selling to apparent bona fide purchasers. Early response is critical: filing a notice of pendency within days of discovery prevents further transfers.
Serial Chapter 13 filings — filings dismissed and refiled repeatedly to delay creditor action — are abuse of the bankruptcy process. The E.D.N.Y. bankruptcy court can enter in rem relief orders prohibiting further filings against the property for 180 days or longer. The firm coordinates response strategy between the Queens Supreme real property action and the E.D.N.Y. bankruptcy proceeding.
A notice of pendency (CPLR § 6501) is filed in the Queens County Clerk’s office at commencement of an action affecting title to real property. It provides constructive notice to all subsequent purchasers and encumbrancers that the property is in litigation. Filing within days of discovering a wrongful transfer is critical to prevent the property from being resold to a bona fide purchaser.
Contested quiet title actions in Queens typically run twelve to twenty-four months, depending on parties and discovery scope. Serial bankruptcy filings extend timelines; aggressive E.D.N.Y. in rem relief shortens them. Summary judgment is pursued where the record permits.
All inquiries are held in strict confidence.