Would rate zero stars if I could…read more
TL;DR: Incompetence, poor communication, lack of accountability and integrity, inadequate attention to detail, and an astonishing disregard for resolving errors he made.
I received certified mail from Mr. Manko's office notifying me that a $12,500 construction lien had been placed on my property. However, I had never hired (or even heard of) the contractor named in the filing.
Although my name and address appeared throughout the paperwork, it also referenced an LLC that, through my own research, I discovered owns the properties across the street from my home. It quickly became clear that the lien had been filed against the wrong property/address.
I later learned the contractor allegedly could not identify the correct address because the units were not numbered when the work was performed. Apparently, "close enough" was considered an acceptable standard before filing a legal claim.
Unfortunately, this occurred while I was refinancing my home. Since a property with an active lien can't be refinanced, my 30-day rate lock added additional urgency to resolve the error.
The county informed me that Mr. Manko was essentially the only person who could correct the error. For nearly two weeks, I called his office one to two times a day. Every time, I was told he was "in court," "unavailable," or "aware of the situation" and would return my call. He never did. My lender also contacted his office and received the same runaround.
After I gave up any remaining hope that Mr. Manko was going to act with integrity and return my call, I hired my own attorney. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Manko became responsive only after my attorney contacted his office and indicated that legal action was being considered. My attorney's persistence, not Mr. Manko's initiative, is what finally moved the matter forward.
Eventually, we received confirmation that the lien release had been recorded. Unfortunately, my lender then informed me that the lien remained because the release documentation had been completed incorrectly by Mr. Manko. After weeks spent trying to get Mr. Manko to correct the original mistake, there was now another error of his doing.
Once again, my attorney had to intervene because it became clear that Mr. Manko would only respond to another lawyer. My attorney instructed him twice via email with the necessary steps to complete the county recording process. Instead, he claimed he was "waiting on instructions," despite having already received those instructions and having completed the same process two weeks earlier. Eventually, he stopped responding.
We later discovered that Mr. Manko had mailed the original release document to my attorney rather than recording it himself. As a result, he no longer had possession of the original document, and the responsibility, and associated cost, of having it properly recorded was shifted to me.
After receiving the document from my attorney, I had to take time off work to personally deliver it to the county for processing. However, county employees informed me that the document was missing several required components and could not be processed. In their exact words: "This is from an attorney? He should know these things."
As a result, I was forced to engage my attorney yet again to address the deficiencies and determine how the document could be properly recorded, causing me additional time, expense, and inconvenience.
Over two months later, my rate lock has expired due to delays outside of my control, resulting in unnecessary stress, expenses, wasted time, and a refinancing process that should never have become this complicated.
This entire situation could have been resolved with a returned phone call, competent follow-through, and basic professional accountability. I understand that mistakes happen. What I don't understand is refusing to communicate, repeatedly mishandling and abandoning, the corrective process, and leaving someone else to deal with the consequences.
There are plenty of competent attorneys available in Michigan, Mr. Manko is not one of them.
