Court of Appeals Clarifies When and How HOAs Can Collect Fees
The Arizona Court of Appeals, in a recently-published decision, clarified the circumstances under which an HOA was allowed to collect attorneys' fees from a homeowner. In Bocchino v. Fountain Shadows Homeowners Association, the Court of Appeals held that an HOA was not entitled to collect attorneys' fees that it purportedly incurred in obtaining an Injunction Against Harassment against a homeowner when it did not seek an award of attorney fees from the court and no fees were awarded by the court. Dessaules Law Group represented the successful homeowner.
Nevada Jury Awards $20 Million Against HOA for Failing to Maintain Swingset
The failure to maintain and repair can cost an HOA. In this case, the failure to repair a known faulty swing set will cost an HOA $20,000,000.00.
“What’s the Worst Thing I Can Do if I’m Sued?”
You get served with or receive a copy of a lawsuit. Maybe it’s a small amount. Or maybe you think they have the wrong party because you’ve read through the complaint and none of it sounds familiar. Or maybe you think, “well, they can’t get blood from a turnip so who cares if they get a judgment against me?!” Or here’s a classic line we hear all the time: “But I didn’t do anything wrong, so there’s no way a judge will let them get a judgment against me. Wrong, wrong, wrong, and (in case you didn’t know where I’m going with this)....wrong!
How to (Properly) Remove HOA Board Members
Always get a lawyer involved early and often. Why? Because if you do it incorrectly you’ll likely make things a lot worse for you and your neighbors. More importantly, a board member generally does not have to face more than one removal petition during his or her term of office. So, an improper removal could prevent your neighbors from doing it correctly.
2018 HOA Legislative Update — Not Fixing the Real Problems (and Creating Some Really Bad Ones, too).
The 2018 Arizona Legislative session has gotten off to a fairly unremarkable start for homeowners that potentially promises to make some really bad law for homeowners and fails to fix any of the real problems that homeowners, individuals, and consumers face on a daily basis.
Is a Debt Collector Suing You in a "Foreign" Court
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ("FDCPA") expressly prohibits a debt collector from bringing a legal action in a "foreign" venue. See 15 U.S.C. § 1692i. "Foreign" does not mean account on another country or even another state. For purposes of the FDCPA, a "foreign" court is any court that is not located in q judicial district in which you reside or in which you signed the contract that is at issue in the lawsuit.
A Practical Guide to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
Codes of Conduct are all the rage in HOAs and condominium communities. Some associations are even attempting to insert these Codes of Conduct into their bylaws, declarations, and other governing documents. There's just one major flaw with Codes of Conduct -- they are invalid and unenforceable.
Consider what appears to be a fairly innocuous Code of Conduct: