SUSPENDING REMOTE ENTRY

SUSPENDING REMOTE ENTRY

QUESTION: Can a board deny a delinquent non-disabled owner the ability to remotely open the lobby door from his phone thereby requiring the owner to go downstairs and open the door manually for guests?

ANSWER: Yes, the privilege can be suspended. Remote entry is a privilege not a right. The delinquent owner can still escort guests to his unit--he simply loses the convenience of remote entry (since he is no longer paying for it). Make sure you hold a hearing before suspending privileges.

INSURANCE HAMMER CLAUSE

QUESTION: One of our members filed a bogus lawsuit against the board and our insurance appointed a law firm to defend us. After a year of being put through the ringer by a nutcase plaintiff and his slimy lawyer, our attorney is recommending settlement. We don't want our insurance paying him a dime. We know we can beat this guy in court. Are we in our rights to refuse settlement and demand that the case go to trial? 

ANSWER: You can refuse settlement but first you should find out if your insurance policy has a "hammer clause." If it does, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of continued litigation. On the plus side, if you take the case to trial and win you discourage others from filing spurious lawsuits against the association. If you lose, it could cost the association a lot of money and a special assessment.

Economics of Settling. Insurance companies don't look at who's right or wrong--they look at the economics, i.e., the cost of taking a case to trial verses the cost of settling. Not only are trials costly, there is a risk of losing. A loss could burden the insurance company with damage awards and plaintiff's attorneys' fees. to avoid the risk, they like to settle.
Hammer Clause. To ensure that boards cooperate with settlement offers, insurance carriers frequently insert a "hammer clause" in their policies. In the event a board refuses to settle and takes a case to trial and loses, the association, not the insurance company, pays the difference between the rejected settlement offer and (i) any additional legal fees incurred by the carrier, plus (ii) any judgment against the association, plus (iii) any award of legal fees against the association.

Plaintiff Refuses to Settle. Sometimes it's the nutcase plaintiff who refuses to settle. When that happens, insurance continues to pay for defending the association through trial and sometimes beyond (if the nutcase loses and files an appeal).

ARCHITECTURAL COMMITTEE OVERRULED

ARCHITECTURAL COMMITTEE OVERRULED

QUESTION: Can the board of directors overrule an architectural committee's approval of a homeowner's application?

ANSWER: Depending on how the committee is structured by your governing documents, an architectural committee either (i) makes recommendations to the board or (ii) has direct authority to approve or disapprove applications. In either case, the board has final say in architectural matters.

Board Options. In the first instance, the architectural control committee (ARC) makes recommendations to the board, which directors can accept or reject. The board makes the final decision. If the governing documents give the architectural committee independent decisionmaking authority, the board still retains control via four avenues.

1. Reconsideration. The first is when the ARC disapproves an application, the applicant can appeal to the board for a reversal of the committee's decision. By statute, the board is given authority to reconsider and reverse ARC disapprovals.
2. Override ARC Decision. Where a committee's decision is contrary to the CC&Rs (such as approving a structure in the setbacks), the courts have made it clear that CC&Rs control. Thus, boards can override an ARC approval so as to comply with the association's governing documents. 

3. Replace Committee Members. Nearly all documents provide that ARC members are appointed by the board. If the ARC refuses to reverse a decision, the board can remove committee members and replace them with members in line with the board's wishes. (If committee members are elected by the membership, the board cannot remove them and will need court intervention.)

4. Seek Court Order. If the ARC cannot be removed by the board, it has the option of going into court for an order reversing the ARC's decision.If, however, the disagreement between the board and the ARC is one of aesthetics rather than violation of the CC&Rs, the court will likely side with the ARC.

RECOMMENDATION: Make sure your association has clear architectural standards with application requirements, notice and review periods, rejection guidelines and, if appropriate, a reconsideration procedure. Where an architectural committee goes off the rails and makes decisions contrary to the governing documents, the board should immediately seek legal counsel.

RECALL QUORUM

RECALL QUORUM

QUESTION: The battle goes on in our community… the second recall election in six months! If they can't make quorum, the petitioners believe they can adjourn the meeting to a new date with a lower quorum. I thought a recall died if it failed to meet quorum.

ANSWER: It depends on your bylaws. As you already know, special membership meetings are ridiculously easy to call. Only 5% of the membership need to sign a petition to trigger a recall meeting. That means quorum is the key issue.

Bylaws. Following is a typical bylaw provision: 

In the absence of a quorum at a Members' meeting, a majority of those present in person or by proxy may adjourn the meeting to another time... The quorum for such a meeting shall be at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the total voting power of the Association, present in person or by proxy.

No Exception. The provision makes no exception for recall meetings. Since recall meetings are membership meetings, a majority of those present can adjourn to a later date where the quorum drops to 25%. The unintended consequence is that a small number of members can recall an entire board. If only 25 of 100 members cast ballots, the recall meets the reduced quorum. Of the 25, only a majority, i.e., 13, are needed to approve the recall. 

I find it troubling that in a 100-unit association, five members can trigger a special meeting and 13 members can recall an entire board. This scenario lends itself to a great deal of abuse as described in my October 26 newsletter. However, a careful reading of the bylaws with the Davis-Stirling Act provides some balance.

Majority of Those Present. The bylaws state that "a majority of those present...may adjourn the meeting" and the Davis-Stirling Act provides that:

each ballot...shall be treated as a member present at a meeting for purposes of establishing a quorum. (Civ. Code §5115(b).)

That means ballots count as members in the room. If 30 ballots were cast and only ten members physically attend the meeting and all ten vote for adjournment, ten is not a majority of forty. Therefore, the motion fails and the recall dies.

RECOMMENDATION: Rather than go through mental gymnastics, associations should amend their bylaws. I recommend eliminating cumulative voting, proxy voting, and quorum requirements for the election of directors (which eliminates the need for reduced quorums). All other meetings (including recalls) require a majority quorum.
Easy-Peasy. With those amendments, elections are easy. There are no reduced quorums and no cumulative voting calculations to create confusion. It's a straightforward, two-step process. Did the petitioners make quorum? If not, the recall dies--there are no reduced quorum meetings. If they made quorum, did a majority approve the recall? It's a straight up or down vote to remove a director or an entire board. No further calculations are needed.

PANTY THIEF

PANTY THIEF

QUESTION: There is a man living in our complex who appears to have Down's syndrome. He goes to the laundry facilities and steals women’s underwear and bras. He has even tugged on a girl’s underwear as she was bending over. The board is afraid of lawsuits and refuses to send the owner a letter. If anyone complains, they say "go to the police." What can we do?
ANSWER: I passed this hot potato to attorney Jasmine Fisher. Following is her response:

Disability Rights. Your board may be unduly concerned about disability rights. Fortunately, the law only requires "reasonable" accommodation of disabilities. There is no law or case on record (yet!) that gives a disabled person the right to steal undergarments. That means your panty thief may create liability for your association if the board refuses to act.
Association Liability. While the association is normally not responsible for the criminal acts of a third party, Frances T. v. Village Green made an exception when the crime is foreseeable. In Frances T, the board knew about the increased crime in the area, failed to install exterior lighting Frances T. had requested (to make her unit safer) and actively prevented her from installing lighting. She was subsequently raped and robbed in her unit. The court found the association and its directors liable because the harm was foreseeable and they did nothing.
With your panty thief, it is foreseeable the thefts will continue and may escalate into something more physical. If so, your association could be liable for your board's failure to act. Simply saying “Go to the police” will not remove the liability exposure.
Board's Options. The courts provide a wide degree of latitude to board decisions so there is no right or wrong option, aside from doing nothing.The board can use the nuisance provision of your CC&Rs to call a hearing to warn the owner. If the behavior continues, fines can be levied (following another hearing). If that does not work, a letter from legal counsel threatening litigation can be next. Ultimately, a lawsuit may be necessary. If needed, the board can skip the early steps and jump to a lawyer letter and potential litigation.

Notice to Members. Should the members be warned? Notifying owners can be tricky. If you don't notify the membership and your panty thief escalates to sexual assaults, your board could be sued for failing to warn the members. If the board says too much, they could be sued by the panty thief. It's the same problem boards face when a registered sex offender moves into a complex. They can't post a notice that sex offender Dilbert Smith moved into unit 301. They must be more circumspect.

RECOMMENDATION: As JFK said, “There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.” To minimize legal exposure, boards who are aware of criminal activity in the development should coordinate with legal counsel for appropriate (i) action against the perpetrator and (ii) notice to the membership.

DIRECTOR'S DUTY OF LOYALTY

DIRECTOR'S DUTY OF LOYALTY

QUESTION: Does the “duty of loyalty” mean I have to support, in public, a position reached by a majority of the board? Am I precluded from publicly dissenting and making adverse comments?

ANSWER: You can dissent and make adverse comments in a board meeting when the matter is under discussion by the board. But once a decision is made, it's time to move on. You don't have to become a cheerleader for the board's decision but a director goes too far when he undermines the board or the agreed-upon course of action. Such behavior can result in a breach of the director's fiduciary duties.

Business Judgment Rule. When a homeowner is elected to the board, he/she automatically becomes a fiduciary and must follow the business judgment rule. That means the actions of a director must be in good faith, in the best interests of the association, and with prudent care. (Corp. Code §7231(a).) Stating you voted against the motion but support the board's decision is okay. Disrupting operations, attacking fellow directors and undermining an agreed-upon course of action is not okay. It is harmful to the association and falls outside the Business Judgment Rule. When that happens, disruptive directors face personal liability.

Dealing with Rogues. If a director goes rogue, the board may have no choice but to censure him/her and, where appropriate, form an executive committee to exclude the director from sensitive issues. Any director who believes he must win all votes is really not suited to be on the board. If needed, the board can call a membership meeting to remove the director.

RECOMMENDATION: Once the board makes a decision, dissenting directors should either publicly support the decision or keep silent. They should in no way undermine the board. If the director cannot follow this policy, he/she should immediately resign from the board. Once off the board, the former director can publicly oppose the board's decision, provided he/she does not disclose any privileged information.

CHANGING RESERVE SCHEDULES

QUESTION: Our past board had a reserve study done. However, much of the information is inaccurate. As a new board are we bound by the study? Many items are in need of repair or replacement but we feel we may get in trouble if we act outside the reserve study. What should we do?

ANSWER: Facts on the ground, not the reserve study, dictate your maintenance needs. The study is merely a guideline and boards have the authority to take appropriate action when it comes to repairs. Moreover, they have the right to notify the reserve specialist of the changed circumstances so adjustments can be made to the study. If the reserve company refuses to update the study with more accurate information, it's time to change companies.

CONTROLLING MANAGEMENT

CONTROLLING MANAGEMENT

QUESTION: Our management company is trying to take over all board duties. I for one am against that. Can a board member perform certain duties within the association--like talking to vendors and current contractors to get information for possible work that may be planned?

ANSWER: A management company cannot take over an association on its own. It has no legal authority for such action. The company serves as a managing agent of the association and is given direction through the board of directors. As such, it has as little or as much authority as the board gives it. If a management company is out of control, it's the board's fault.  

Director Limitations. The same limitations are true for directors. Board members function within guidelines established by the board. Although directors have a duty of due diligence, they do not have the right to individually start questioning (interrogating as interviewees often see it) employees, contractors, members, and tenants without board approval. Doing so can lead to claims of harassment, interference with contractual relations, discrimination and constructive wrongful terminations.

Potential Liability. A director's due diligence obligation can be satisfied by other means that don't create potential liability. It can be done through the managing agent, industry experts and legal counsel. If a director wants to personally investigate a particular matter (and is qualified to do so), he should first get board permission. Otherwise, he may be incurring liability for himself as well as the association. 

RECOMMENDATION: Each year following their annual meeting, incoming boards should meet with legal counsel to go over their rights and responsibilities as directors. It will help them avoid stepping on landmines during their tenure and function more cohesively as a board.

WHO OWNS THE BALLOTS?

QUESTION: A third-party inspector of elections is denying a post-election ballot inspection by claiming the election materials belong to him, not to the association. He will permit an inspection when ballots are returned to the association in one year, at the point when the election can no longer be challenged! We say the election materials belong to the association and the inspector is merely the custodian.

ANSWER: You are correct. The association owns the ballots not the inspector. The election inspector is hired by the HOA to perform a service...count the ballots and hold them for one year so no one can tamper with them. As such, the inspector is the custodian not the owner.

Inspection Rights. Although limited, members have inspection rights.

If there is a recount or other challenge to the election process, the inspector or inspectors of elections shall, upon written request, make the ballots available for inspection and review by an association member or the member’s authorized representative. (Civ. Code §5125.)

Some take the above language to mean that an inspector is not required to produce ballots except for a recount or challenge. Refusing to produce them creates suspicion the inspector is hiding something. Moreover, to satisfy the statute a member need only state he intends to challenge the election. Accordingly, the better policy is to produce the ballots upon demand by a member.

No Right to Copy. Election materials do not fall under the list of records that members have a right to copy. (Civ. Code §5200.) There is no provision in the Davis-Stirling Act, the Corporations Code or the Election Code that provides for the copying of ballots or other election materials. Hence, members have a right to inspect but not to copy ballots.

Inspection Costs. Since professional inspectors do not work for free, there will be a cost associated with the inspection. The issue of who pays for the inspection is not covered by the Davis-Stirling Act. For guidance, we can turn to California's Election Code. The Code requires the person requesting a recount to deposit monies with the election official to cover the cost. (EC §15624.) 

CONCLUSION: Accordingly, it would be reasonable to require the person demanding the inspection to bear the cost. He can either pay in advance to the inspector or reimburse the association for the cost.  The Davis-Stirling Act gives associations general authority to impose fees to defray costs (Civ. Code §5600(b)). The payment method would be at the discretion of the inspector of elections, not the homeowner.

GOOD FAITH REQUIREMENT

GOOD FAITH REQUIREMENT

QUESTION: Board directors must carry out their duties in "good faith." What does that mean?

ANSWER: As fiduciaries, boards are held to a higher standard. To avoid personal liability for their decisions, the Business Judgment Rule requires directors to act in good faith, in the best interests of the association, and with reasonable inquiry. The good faith element is sometimes referred to as bad faith or lack of good faith when the requirement is violated by a director.

Common Area Repairs. An example of bad faith is for a board to knowingly cause a vendor to breach his contract so the association can cancel the agreement and enter into a less expensive one with another company. The board is arguably acting in the best interests of the association (saving money by reducing the cost of the construction project) but they are doing so in bad faith. One enterprising board did this following the Northridge Earthquake.

Scheming. Their association suffered significant earthquake damage and entered into an agreement with a contractor for extensive repairs. After work commenced, a new director was elected to the board. He convinced his fellow directors they could save a lot of money if they hired a different company to do the work. The problem was how to get rid of the existing contractor. They met in executive session and schemed how to disrupt the work and make it impossible for the contractor to meet his obligations so they could fire him. Being conscientious directors, they recorded their meetings.

Judgment. The board carried out their plan and fired the contractor. He sued. The board's tape recordings became Exhibit "A" in the proceedings. The damage award against the association was substantial and drove it to the edge of bankruptcy. Not only did the directors breach the requirement of good faith and fair dealing with the contractor, they breached the good faith element of the Business Judgment Rule and exposed themselves to personal liability.

RECOMMENDATION: Boards should adopt an Ethics Policy and make sure their directors follow it. They should reprimand or formally censure directors who violate the policy. And, depending on the seriousness of the breach and if permitted by the bylaws, remove the misbehaving director.

20-POUND DOGS

QUESTION: Our CC&Rs say we can't have a dog over 20 pounds. Does this violate Civil Code 4715?

ANSWER: Weight pound limitations on dogs are not uncommon in condominium projects, especially midrises and highrises.
Condo Limitations. In stacked condominiums with long elevator rides, a German Shepherd, Mastiff or Pitt Bull can be a scary proposition for passengers. Even if it's friendly, a large dog can do a lot of damage if it is hyperactive and likes to jump onto people. Imposing a weight limitation resolves the safety problem for residents.
Pet Prohibitions. In my opinion, Civil Code §4715 does not apply to reasonable restrictions on size and breeds of dogs. Instead, it addresses blanket prohibitions. 

No governing documents shall prohibit the owner of a separate interest within a common interest development from keeping at least one pet within the common interest development, subject to reasonable rules and regulations of the association.

Service Animals. Service animals are the exception to weight and breed restrictions. Such limitations do not apply to a service animal assisting a disabled person.

WHO CONTROLS EXECUTIVE SESSION?

QUESTION: I am wondering if the board can exclude the manager (an employee of the management company hired by the HOA) from executive session meetings?

ANSWER: Yes, the board can exclude the manager. It's the board's meeting, not the manager's. The only exception is if the board contractually obligated themselves to have their manager at every meeting or, in the reverse, never hold a meeting without the manager being present.