The McCuskers lived rent-free and mortgage-free for over 17 months
Note: It is my understanding that after Elizabeth Mccusker was shown these pictures....by me, at her deposition-----she and/or her husband or agent, illegally re-entered the house. They took some of this abandoned property, and later sold it on-line----I personally saw the skis and boots advertised. It's very interesting to me that Liz McCusker, who constantly and falsely accused me of trespassing, did so herself on property that was then owned by the bank. Then she had the audacity to POST photos of this property on-line, and sell it! I am sure their bank will be interested to find this out.
Don't you wish you too could live without bothering to pay your obligations to the bank, your landlord, or whomever?
That's what the McCuskers did for over 17 months. Although they owed their bank well over $300,000, they made their last mortgage payment on July 1, 2008. They subsequently received a Notice of Foreclosure on September 16, 2008. However they stayed in the home until January 9, 2010 without bothering to make any kind of payments to their bank!!!!!! It should be noted that during that entire time, Steve was employed, made high 5 figures, and even had an equity stake in his business.
Again, the McCuskers benefited from the inefficiencies of the Maine court system. There they were, over 7 months from the date of their last mortgage payment, and the house only THEN went on the market (and finally sold for much less than the bank was owed.....let alone the money the bank had to pour into it to fix Liz McCusker's holes in the wall (her husband told me in the presence of attorney Marty Foley that Liz liked to punch holes in the walls when she was angry), the basement graffiti, to clean the mess they left, etc). To be fair to the court system, while it did take an extraordinarily long time for the Court(s) to finish the foreclosure process, the McCuskers certainly took advantage of this inefficiency. And it's very difficult to understand why the McCuskers did not instead take advantage of the several government programs in place at that time to help people in foreclosure.
I was told by the Bank of America representative that the paperwork for the federal program was found sitting in this mess on the kitchen counter, still in the FedEx envelope in which it had been sent. My theory on this is that Liz McCusker was so enthralled at the prospect of living in a huge, prestigious house that she'd rented (complete with a huge pool, six acres, marble baths etc)-----in a style that she had LONG TOLD people she could afford but couldn't------and was so seduced by those thoughts of her own aggrandizement that she didn't care who or what she left behind. She didn't need help from the government to keep her house; she'd managed to instead upgrade her lifestyle! But like most ill-gotten gains, that lifestyle didn't last long.
Every single family that DOES repay their obligations gets to subsidize those who don't....think about that next time you are making a mortgage payment.....part of your payment goes to helping the feckless like the McCuskers live a grand lifestyle.
We also have to remember that in leaving this 1700-square-foot house on about 2/3 of an acre, the McCuskers proceeded to rent a 6000-square-foot luxury home on over 6 acres with a huge pool and a 1200-square-foot pool house. Many areas of the home were swathed in fine mahogany cabinetry, granite counters, and marble shower. According to all whom she spoke with at the time, including family members and friends, Liz McCusker consistently stated that they were moving because they "need a bigger house". Perhaps had they not rented that huge luxury home, they would have had some extra money each month to pay their other creditors (see "So it's OK for your sister to live in a trailer" elsewhere on this web site. Liz and Steve McCusker spent on rent, in one 18 month period, more than one and one-half times the total value of her sister's home!!!!). But paying their obligations was apparently not high on the McCuskers' list of Things To Do, as they instead felt entitled to live in the grandest house in town, kept using their boat at an exclusive and pricey marina (without actually paying for the slip, which it so happens was owned by one of my neighbors), renting a limousine, taking vacations, etc.
How many people facing bankruptcy....and Steve McCusker first discussed bankruptcy with me and with his attorney David Brandt in the spring of 2008-----proceed to UPGRADE their lifestyle?
And once again regarding Liz McCusker's false and defamatory statements about me: One of the many things of which she accused me was stealing some sort of family photograph. She told me that she remembered exactly where she'd left it in this house....oh really? And which of these piles of junk would that be in?
Needless to say, they didn't have to leave this house in a hurry----they had 17 months. They left piles of junk behind for the rest of society to clean up because they are too special to do so. Is there any excuse for leaving a home looking like this?
Note that these photos were taken in the fall of 2010------at least 9 months after the McCuskers moved to their fancy new digs [photos courtesy of Countrywide/Bank of America]:
Update in 2019: I hadn't looked at these photos in a year or more-------they look worse than ever to me; the McCuskers left the place looking like a junkyard. If all that stuff was JUNK yet they'd been living with it, what does it say about them?
How much money----money that was owed to their creditors------does all this stuff represent? Thousands and thousands of dollars spent by someone in that household.
The brass bells on the door-handle are interesting.
Liz retrieved them and put them on the door of the 9 Whipporwill rental.
In other words, clear proof that she illegally re-entered the home after seeing these photos at her deposition-----well after the bank had taken possession of the property. [She later advertised the skis, and proudly sold other items at a yard sale].
This from a person who accused me of breaking and entering, theft, and other violations of the law. Ironic.