One neighbor was in jail Monday, the other left a hospital after a shooting Sunday sparked by a long dispute over homeowners association dues. The shooting occurred on Rawlins Drive, just inside the Pleasant Run Estates neighborhood, in Lancaster. Read the article……………………….
Talk About a Condo Commando! Director Fires Gun to Shoo Away Teens from Pool (FL)
“I’m putting my own life at risk!” That’s what an Ormond Beach, Fla. homeowners association director is reported to have said after he fired his gun into the ground in an effort to shoo away two teenagers from the community pool. Thankfully, nobody was hurt in the incident, which resulted in the arrest of Richard […]
“Armed and Dangerous,” CAI Common Ground
IT WAS NOT A PLEASANT TOPIC, but that didn’t stop the Ridgeview Place Condo Association near St. Louis from raising questions about what owners should do if an “active shooter” storms the community. “We’re too isolated for anybody to really come—and we’re all too old,” says Diane Burnell, chair of the association’s disaster preparedness committee. […]
Could Killings in Luxury Miami Condo Mean Legal Headache for Paraiso Bay? (FL)
News of the slaying of two women at a luxury Miami condominium building shook Paraiso Bay residents and may trigger a negligent-security lawsuit. The women’s families could have a case against the condo association, Miami attorney Jason Kellogg said. The killings also highlight a controversial state law that says real estate brokers and home sellers […]
Man shoots gun because people wouldn’t leave community pool, police say (FL)
A man who was upset that three people wouldn’t leave a community pool, despite the fact that it was still open, fired a gun in an attempt to get them to vacate, according to the Ormond Beach Police Department. Two juveniles and an adult were at the pool on Willow Run around 9 p.m. when […]
Woman Evaluated After Spraying Ammonia On Neighbors (FL)
Hazmat crews were called to the Deer Pointe Townhome Community in Deerfield Beach after a bizarre chain of events. The Broward sheriff s office says it started when they got a report of a woman spraying neighbors with ammonia. One victim had to be taken to the hospital. Then paramedics had to transport a deputy […]
Family sues security guard accused of murdering man in Chesapeake (VA)
The family of a man shot and killed in 2017 has filed a lawsuit against the security guard accused of his murder — as well as his employer and a community association. Chesapeake police said Johnathan Cromwell, an employee of Citywide Protection Services at the time, was patrolling the River Walk neighborhood in Chesapeake when […]
Argument over tire change leads to standoff, suicide in Seminole (FL)
People who live in the Timberwoods condo complex in Seminole are back in their homes. A violent confrontation in the parking lot,turned into a five hour standoff with a tragic ending. “Gun and run. And my shoes are still laying in the middle of the driveway, ran right out of them.” That’s how Jason Suhadolnik […]
Can or Should Community Associations Impose Firearm Regulations through Governing Documents
We are all familiar with the case involving Trayvon Martin, a teenager who was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer. In 2012, David Merritt, president of the Spring Creek Homeowners Association, called a homeowners association meeting to order. Approximately 30 minutes later, Merritt, and former president of Spring Creek Marvin Fisher, would be […]
Physical Assault at Board Meeting – Is the Condo Corporation Responsible? (ON)
In a recent case, Omotayo v. Da Costa, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice considered whether a condominium corporation was responsible to prevent an assault at a board meeting by one participant against another participant. During a heated board meeting Mr. Da Costa hit Ms. Omotayo on the head with a chair. Ms. Omotayo then […]
Keeping Fisticuffs Out of the Annual Meeting (NY)
It was surreal, recalls Alvin Wasserman, director of asset management for Fairfield Properties. At an annual meeting that was supposed to be routine, a unit-owner made allegations against one of the board members. Her husband became very upset. Insults flew until a shouting match erupted. Then it went to the next level. “The husband took […]
A single bullet: Palm Beach condo manager coping with life after 2014 shooting
He lives deep in the Virginia woods. He came here to escape the life he once lived. The friends he once had. The memories of a time before everything changed — the day he sat inside The President of Palm Beach Condominium office and a man with a pistol shot him in the head.
Injunction Against Condo Owner Illustrates Just How Ugly Things Can Get
The old adage “don’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch” definitely applies in community association living. Unfortunately, conflicts between boards of directors and recalcitrant unit owners are par for the course in associations, so it is incumbent on the boards and their property management and legal counsel to deftly contend with every brouhaha that […]
How to Handle a Bully in Your Community
Search the term “bullying” on the internet and an array of corresponding stories and images will appear ranging from politicians to school accounts and social media trolls. Recognizing, understanding, and managing bullies has become even more important as the internet has added an additional platform for bullies to practice their power dynamic and attacks. Regardless […]
How to Handle Aggression Against HOA Board Members
Ideally, all HOA board meetings would be organized, calm, and simple. However, that’s not usually how life works when you manage a homeowners association. With many homeowners comes many opinions, and there is usually one owner who believes their opinion is the best. Sometimes this can lead to obnoxious attempts to get a rise out […]
Dealing with Harassment as a Member of the HOA Board
In a perfect world, an HOA would have regular meetings where members of the community would ask the board questions, raise concerns, and receive regular updates. It would be structured, straightforward, and civilized. Unfortunately, that’s not how most meetings with the board go. Invariably, there will be a homeowner who thinks that their opinion is […]
Who’s Packing? (and does it matter?) Schools, hospitals and government buildings ban firearms. Why don’t more communities do the same?
An otherwise peaceful and playful day this past summer at a southern Illinois homeowners association pool turned ugly when a resident with a history of behavioral problems became offended at a perceived slight. In retaliation, she threatened to drown someone’s child. Read more……….
Guns at HOA Meetings- Arizona
Gun violence at HOA meetings is rare, but receives much media attention. No one will forget the tragic murders of two women and the wounding of three others in Arizona when a man opened fire during an HOA meeting in 2000. More recently is the shooting in Louisville, Kentucky where a homeowner shot and killed […]
Guns at HOA Meetings- Utah
Gun violence at HOA meetings is rare, but receives much media attention. No one will forget the tragic murders of two women and the wounding of three others in Arizona when a man opened fire during an HOA meeting in 2000. More recently is the shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, where a homeowner shot and killed […]
Doctor Shot To Death After Altercation At NH Lake
Those who live along the lake say the shooter was another neighbor, and the two men had argued in the past over dock space. “It’s a little isolated up here…sometimes we feel we’re part of a Stephen King novel or something,” said Tim Lewis, Vice President of the Stinson Lake Homeowners Association. Read more…….