Called after sent written cease of communication notice Did not receive notice of right to dispute Foreclosure Firm XXXX XXXX XXXX to Close Down By XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, 2011 XXXX XXXX XXXX, 2011 XXXX In a photo from a former employee of the law firm of XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX employees mocked homeowners whose homes had been foreclosed.In a photo from a former employee of the law firm of XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX employees mocked homeowners whose homes had been foreclosed. 
A law firm that had become a lightning rod in the controversy over mortgage-foreclosure practices has shut down, costing XXXX employees their jobs. 
The XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. law firm, which has offices in XXXX, N.Y., and XXXX, N.Y., has filed papers with government agencies notifying them that it plans to close. It made the filings under a federal law requiring employers to provide notice before mass layoffs. 
" Disrupting the livelihoods of so many dedicated and hardworking people is extremely painful, but the loss of so much business left us no choice but to file these notices, '' said XXXX XXXX in a statement issued on Monday. A firm spokesman said it would have no further comment beyond the release. 
XXXX XXXX and his colleagues have come under fire for their foreclosure-related legal work. They are one of numerous firms across the country that represent banks and services in trying to foreclose on the millions of homeowners who have defaulted on their loans. Some of these firms ' aggressive, and, in some cases, duplicitous practices, have earned them the moniker " foreclosure mills. '' The XXXX firm 's tactics, which included the " robo-signing '' of documents, has been among the most criticized. Last year, a state court judge in XXXX called XXXX foreclosure filing from the XXXX firm " incredible, outrageous, ludicrous and disingenuous. '' Last month, the firm struck a settlement with the United States attorney 's office in XXXX, which had been investigating the XXXX firm and whether, on behalf of its lender clients, it filed misleading legal papers to expedite foreclosures. The firm agreed to pay a XXXX penalty and vowed change its practices to resolve the case. 
" In mortgage foreclosure proceedings, there are no excuses for sloppy practices that could lead to someone mistakenly losing their home, '' XXXX XXXX XXXX, the United States attorney in XXXX, said in a statement at the time of the settlement. " Homeowners facing foreclosure can not afford to have faulty paperwork or inadequate evidence submitted, and today 's agreement will help minimize that risk. '' But despite its settlement with the federal government, the firm 's fortunes worsened this month after XXXX published photos of a XXXX party at the XXXX firm showing employees wearing costumes mocking people who had lost their homes. 

After those photos surfaced, the mortgage giants XXXX XXXX and XXXX cut off the XXXX firm, forbidding servicers of their mortgages from using XXXX XXXX and his colleagues. That effectively served as the firm 's death knell. 

On Saturday, XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX columnist who originally wrote about the firm 's XXXX party, published another column about the controversy. In it, he quoted an e-mail that XXXX XXXX had sent him last week. 
" XXXX XXXX -- You have destroyed everything and everyone related to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, '' said the letter. " It took 40 years to build this firm and three weeks to tear down. '' " I think that 's what they call shooting the messenger, '' XXXX XXXX wrote.