The attorney’s fee award came to $28,000.
The association did not have enough money in its operating fund to absorb it comfortably.
Paying the award would require a special assessment.
Ninety-six homes.
Approximately $291 per household.
Residents who had never requested the lawsuit were now being asked to pay for it.
The Hendersons.
The Garcias.
Carl.
Every family Margaret had told she was protecting.
Carl called me the evening the assessment notice circulated.
“It’s happening,” he said.
“What?”
“Margaret’s calling a special meeting.”
“About the fees?”
“Yes.”
“How are people reacting?”
“Badly.”
I sat at my kitchen table.
“I can imagine.”
“Some are furious. Others are asking for the court order. A few are demanding the board explain why nobody checked the deed before filing.”
“Those sound like reasonable questions.”
“Margaret doesn’t think so.”
I closed my eyes.
“Of course not.”
“She says the assessment is necessary because you refused to cooperate.”
I almost dropped the phone.
“She lost a lawsuit she initiated, and she’s still blaming me?”
“Yes.”
“What does she want me to do? Pay her legal bill?”
Carl laughed without humor.
“I wouldn’t give her ideas.”
Then his tone became serious.
“I think this is the meeting where everything changes.”
He was right.
I wasn’t there.
I heard what happened from Carl afterward, and his account matched what other residents later described.
The community room was packed.
People stood along the back wall.
Some carried copies of the assessment notice.
Others had printed the court order.
Margaret stood at the front beside two board members.
She had prepared an explanation.
The association had pursued litigation to protect its access.
The outcome was unfortunate.
The court had taken a narrow view of historical rights.
The legal costs were regrettable.
The board had acted in good faith.
Then she announced the amount.
Approximately $291 per household.
The room erupted.
A man in the front row demanded to know why the HOA hadn’t investigated the title records.
A woman asked whether residents had ever voted to authorize the lawsuit.
Someone else wanted to know how much had already been spent.
Margaret reportedly raised her voice.
“Everyone needs to calm down. The board acted to protect your property values.”
