Things are downright catty these days at Seven Bridges, an upscale, gated community west of Boca Raton of 701 single-family homes.

From last November through May, there have been a number of incidents, including:

• An alleged fight on the tennis courts between a number of women.

• One woman allegedly labeling another a “shiksa” (a disparaging term to describe a non-Jewish woman) urging the non-Jewish woman and her family to move from the predominantly Jewish community.

• The other woman firing back, calling her accuser “an ugly local stripper."

These allegations are enmeshed in lawsuits and HOA documents that paint a soap opera-like atmosphere at Seven Bridges.
 

Things went downhill last fall when the LaGrassos claim that members of a women’s tennis league objected to their children taking up three courts. The eight women in the league constantly interfered with the lessons, according to the LaGrassos’ lawsuit.

Deborah confronted them on Nov. 22, 2019. An argument ensued and security was called to separate the women. Some of the tennis players claim they were assaulted. LaGrasso’s lawyer, Scott Weires, says the assault never occurred and he has a video showing the other women were the aggressors, putting their racquets in Deborah’s face.

But the HOA ruled against Deborah, barring her in December 2019 for three months from using any of the amenities at Seven Bridges. The HOA said Deborah grabbed the arm of one woman and the neck of another and threw punches.

“Whether or not there was a prior verbal disagreement between your daughters and the ladies is irrelevant as there is no justification for the physical assault of fellow residents,” the HOA said in a letter dated Dec. 5 to Deborah LaGrasso.

Deborah LaGrasso, already angry with the HOA, began using her anonymous Facebook page called Bridges Seven, separate and apart from the official Seven Bridges HOA page, to criticize board members, the community and residents.

Resident Rachel Tannenholz, who was not involved in the earlier tennis incident, suggested LaGrasso leave if she was so unhappy. Tannenholz did not know at the time that it was LaGrasso’s page. That post set off a nasty dispute, resulting in Deborah making a number of allegedly defamatory posts:

“Support Your Local Stripper” with a caption stating “Rachel’s GO FUND ME PAGE. OH MY those platform shoes are horrendous . . must be so hard to type and dance on the pole at the same time.!!!”

By the middle of May, Tannenholz discovered that Deborah LaGrasso was the administrator of the page. The lawyer for Tannenholz, Debra Klingsberg, called Deborah “a social media terrorist,” noting these posts were so inappropriate.

But LaGrasso claims Tannenholz sent a post to her saying: “Move out you stupid Shiksa. You moved in somewhere which is 80% Jewish and you do not belong here.” Klingsberg said Rachel never wrote the Shiksa post.

Tannenholz did not wish to comment for this story.

On May 19, Tannenholz went to LaGrasso's home to confront her. “Move out bitch,” Rachel allegedly yelled. Deborah LaGrasso refused to open her door. From the balcony of her home, LaGrasso allegedly threatened to shoot Tannenholz. Sheriff’s deputies responded. LaGrasso filed a stalking complaint against Tannenholz, which has since been withdrawn.

Tannenholz has filed a state lawsuit in Palm Beach County alleging that the posts on Deborah’s page amounted to defamation. She also accuses Deborah LaGrasso of malicious prosecution.

Both Tannenholz and the HOA are named as defendants in the LaGrasso federal lawsuit. In addition to the $7 million in punitive damages, Deborah and her husband want Seven Bridges to “de-annex” their home so that they would not be subject to HOA rules. The LaGrassos claim that the HOA improperly involved itself in the dispute between the two women, siding with Tannenholz who allegedly spearheaded an effort to ostracize the LaGrassos. The LaGrassos say they live in constant fear with their doors locked at all times, have hired bodyguards to protect the family and have undertaken instruction in the use of firearms for protection.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey LaGrasso wrote a letter on May 27 asking the HOA to look into Tannenholz’s conduct. He said he had video and audio recordings showing harassing and discriminatory behavior by her. The lawsuit alleges that the HOA did nothing.

Weires said the 2016 changes to the Fair Housing Act make community associations liable for failing to take prompt action to control known discriminatory conduct of a resident or other third party.

“In our case, the association was notified of repeated instances of outrageous discriminatory conduct against our client based on her religion and, not only refused to do anything about it, but contrived an excuse to punish her by levying grossly excessive fines and sanctions for violating rules that do not exist.”

“It’s not about the money,” Weires said. “My clients are willing to settle this case if every homeowner in the community makes a charitable contribution to a non-profit organization of our choice that works to end religious discrimination. The LaGrassos were fined $5,000 and have endured nearly 10 months of abuse. We propose that the Association assess the same $5,000 against every lot to settle this lawsuit.

“The result would be a win-win — the money would help countless others who are battling for inclusion and freedom from discrimination, and every member of the Seven Bridges community can feel good about contributing to such a worthy cause.”

A Seven Bridges spokeswoman said the HOA does not comment on pending litigation.

FEDERAL LAWSUIT SEEKS $7M, ALLEGES HARASSMENT, DISCRIMINATION