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An
Opinion By Jan Bergemann
President, Cyber Citizens For Justice, Inc.
Published
December 9, 2017
In an order granting plaintiff's motion for summary
judgment Circuit Court Judge William L. Roby ruled against Piper's
Landing, Inc. in Martin County in a case where the HOA had refused to
allow a homeowner to inspect the management contract and the financial
records indicating the specific compensation of manager Brian Reich.
In my opinion this lawsuit was a total waste of association funds. The
owner should have never been forced to file this lawsuit because the
association attorney Jane Cornett from the law firm of Becker &
Poliakoff should have advised the board that the statutes force the
association to reveal these documents. You don't need to be Einstein to
read the provisions in FS 720 (the HOA Act) that explain in no uncertain
words that management contracts and financial records are public record
which every owner and/or his/her representative can inspect after filing
a so-called "public record request."
The judge made it clear that there was no doubt that the homeowner had
the right to inspect the requested records.
But to me it looks like the HOA board and attorney Jane Cornett are sore
losers. Shortly after the court's ruling they suspended plaintiff John
Katsock for reasons unnamed in the letter written by Jane Cornett on
November 7.
Katsock, the plaintiff in the court case that the HOA lost
unceremoniously, wwas suspended from "all use of any and all of the
common facilities for a period of one (1) year -- acording to the letter
Jane Cornett sent to the plaintiff's attorney.
No wonder many homeowners call these homeowners' associations GULAGS. On
the other hand I think the legislature should add a provision into the
statutes demanding that any attorney who allows such a "frivolous"
lawsuit to go forward has to pay the legal fees for the opposing party
out of his/her own pocket.
Homeowners shouldn't be forced to pay for such legal actions caused by
the unwillingness of the board to follow the laws.
CLICK HERE FOR THE
COURT RULING AGAINST
THE HOA
And Click Here To Read What I call
Revenge:
LETTER FROM JANE
CORNETT, ESQ.
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