Plus: The company said it had kicked out a top franchisee who broke the law. New evidence suggests it didn’t.

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The Big Story
Fri. Jun 30, 2023

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“We Buy Ugly Houses” CEO Steps Down Following ProPublica Investigation <[link removed]> David Hicks, CEO of HomeVestors of America, said in a letter announcing his retirement that recent press coverage of the company’s homebuying practices has taken a “personal toll on me.” by Anjeanette Damon and Byard Duncan

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More From This Investigation

HomeVestors Said It Had Kicked Out a Top Franchisee Who Broke the Law. New Evidence Suggests It Didn’t. <[link removed]> The company said it had cut ties with Cory Evans, the former co-owner of Patriot Holdings LLC, “a number of years” ago, but texts, emails and interviews indicate he was still engaged in the business as recently as March. by Anjeanette Damon and Byard Duncan <[link removed]>

The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses” <[link removed]> HomeVestors of America, the self-proclaimed “largest homebuyer in the U.S.,” trains its nearly 1,150 franchisees to zero in on homeowners’ desperation. by Anjeanette Damon, Byard Duncan and Mollie Simon <[link removed]>

HomeVestors Praised ProPublica’s Reporting, Then Tried to “Bury It” <[link removed]> The “We Buy Ugly Houses” company held a virtual meeting for its franchises to outline a plan to “minimize visibility” of our investigation. by Anjeanette Damon, Byard Duncan and Mollie Simon <[link removed]>

Five Stories of Lives Upended After Dealing With the “We Buy Ugly Houses” Company <[link removed]> ProPublica found that HomeVestors franchises often target the homes of people in vulnerable or desperate situations. These are the stories of five people who found themselves in unwanted deals with a cash home buyer. by Anjeanette Damon, Byard Duncan and Mollie Simon <[link removed]>

Senators, Regulator Call for More Scrutiny of “We Buy Ugly Houses” Company <[link removed]> The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s head said the Department of Justice and state attorneys general should be made aware of predatory house-flipping practices, following ProPublica reporting on HomeVestors of America. by Anjeanette Damon, Mollie Simon and Byard Duncan <[link removed]>

Looking to Sell Your Home for Cash? Read This First. <[link removed]> Cash home buyers like the “We Buy Ugly Houses” company may offer a quick and convenient sale to homeowners. Here’s what experts say you should know about interacting with these companies. by Byard Duncan and Anjeanette Damon <[link removed]>

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Blocked Artery in Your Leg? Here’s What You Should Know. <[link removed]> A ProPublica investigation found that some doctors overuse invasive treatments for peripheral artery disease. So we talked to experts to learn what vascular patients should know when seeking care. by Annie Waldman <[link removed]>

How Parents Outraged by Library Books, Diversity Initiatives and Sex Ed Transformed One New Jersey School Board <[link removed]> An angry parent confronted a New Jersey school board president, accelerating a chain of events that pushed the board to the right. by Nicole Carr <[link removed]>

Illinois Officials Will Try a Second Time to Make Good on Pledge to Reform Student Ticketing <[link removed]> Despite legislative setbacks, state leaders and Gov. J.B. Pritzker say they remain committed to stopping schools from continuing to use police to punish students. by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards <[link removed]>

How Often Do Health Insurers Say No to Patients? No One Knows. <[link removed]> Insurers’ denial rates — a critical measure of how reliably they pay for customers’ care — remain mostly secret to the public. Federal and state regulators have done little to change that. by Robin Fields <[link removed]>

The Group That Governs U.S. Transplant Policies Voted to Require Testing of At-Risk Organ Donors for Chagas Disease <[link removed]> Bob Naedele died in 2018 after receiving a heart infected with the parasite that causes Chagas disease. The change in U.S. screening policy could prevent such deaths in the future. by Caroline Chen <[link removed]>

Baker College Faces Federal Investigation Over “Recruitment and Marketing Practices” <[link removed]> ProPublica and the Detroit Free Press found that Baker College spent more on marketing than it did on financial aid. Now, the school faces an inquiry by the U.S. Department of Education. by Anna Clark <[link removed]>

Supreme Court Keeps Navajo Nation Waiting for Water <[link removed]> Decades of negotiations between the tribe and Arizona over water rights have proven fruitless. The court case was the Navajo Nation’s bid to accelerate the process and secure water for its reservation. by Anna V. Smith, High Country News, and Umar Farooq and Mark Olalde, ProPublica <[link removed]>

Inside the Secretive World of Penile Enlargement <[link removed]> How a doctor’s two-decade quest to grow the penis is leaving some men desperate and disfigured. by Ava Kofman; Photography by Philip Cheung, special to ProPublica <[link removed]>

Behind the Scenes of Justice Alito’s Unprecedented Wall Street Journal Pre-buttal <[link removed]> The Journal editorial page accused ProPublica of misleading readers in a story that hadn’t yet been published. by Jesse Eisinger and Stephen Engelberg <[link removed]>

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