Appraisal Institute Controversy Part 2

[CGinMN]

If Steinly's behavior has been known for 15 years, as Park says, it is a really bad look for AI and their legal counsel. It's organizational rot. Also, if I were Craig Capilla, I'm going to decline representing Steinley in this matter.

 

[alebrewer]

Kind of crazy that one person is gonna bring down the AI. It will not recover.

 

[glenn walker]

Kind of crazy that one person is gonna bring down the AI. It will not recover.

They will pay her a go away fee and just raise dues next year. They won't go away until the last one dies.

 

[alebrewer]

Oh, I've no doubt the name and insignia will continue. The institution, as any meaningful part of the appraisal world however, will diminish drastically.

 

[Non Sequitur]

We have a new Pope! And the smoke coming from Chicago isn't a sign for a new CEO, it's a sign from the old CEO!

 

[Non Sequitur]

They will pay her a go away fee and just raise dues next year. They won't go away until the last one dies.

They tried, didn't work. I do agree, the MAIs will ignore this (and they have up until this point), but at what cost?

 

[bmchenry]

TY for the de-paywall version.

Much interesting commentary. General membership, including chapter leadership, has no idea what's going on in ChiTown.

It answers one of our questions: where is the money going?

Inset commentary from the article:

"The Appraisal Institute produces the certification materials and fills the state boards that regulate the estimated 70,000 real estate appraisers working in the United States."

Really? 1 person of 10 board members in two of the three states I practice in are AI members. That one's term expires in June 25.

 

[Non Sequitur]

I attached a pdf of the lawsuit.

 

[RCA]

Maybe we now need a "Part III":

Today's letter from the AI:

​

Hi all,
As you may have seen, an article about the Appraisal Institute was published in the New York Times this morning.


On behalf of AI, I want to acknowledge those who participated in the article and the seriousness of what they said. Let me be clear: The Appraisal Institute is committed to a safe and respectful environment for all our employees and members, and nothing short of that is OK. We have policies that prohibit, and are there to ensure we promptly address any reports of, discrimination, harassment or retaliation.
This article does not represent who the Appraisal Institute is. We will be conducting a thorough investigation to understand the facts and circumstances regarding what is cited in the article.
The article also mentions what we’ve shared previously about a former employee lawsuit regarding allegations about our appraisal examination process. All of us at the Appraisal Institute take this very seriously. The leadership and staff are fully committed to the highest ethical and professional standards – that is core to who we are and how we work every day. The Appraisal Institute continues to maintain the allegations are not true, and we will fight this lawsuit in court.
Thank you,

Paula

Appraisal Institute executive faces sexual harassment allegations

Appraisal Institute vice president Craig Steinley has been accused of sexual harassment by 12 current and former employees.

www.housingwire.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/realestate/appraisal-institute-sexual-harassment-exam-flaws.html

 

[CGinMN]

According to the complaint, this is why she was fired. If she embezzled $1M, why wouldn't they go to the police? What was sold to a for-profit competitor?