Recently I sought legal representation to deal with my HOA Board. I didn’t want to; however, despite repeated requests, I alone was not able to convince the directors to do the right thing. On International Women’s Day March 8th, we had an HOA election meeting via Zoom. The discussion turned to a pipe that burst, the damage to several units, the repairs, and insurance coverage. As the Board was solely considering using the President’s personal contractor, this was concerning. I raised my hand and questioned if our insurance carrier required getting bids from multiple contractors. The building manager didn’t know and then said, “Why do you ask?” To which I responded, “For financial optimization and to get the best product (end result), it makes sense to get more than 1 bid. Further, to hire this one contractor could potentially create a conflict of interest, and oversight and accountability might be difficult. It’s not a good look.” Presumably defensive, wanting to squelch me, and distract from what I expressed, the male President’s male partner immediately jumped in, off video, attacked my character and then said to me, “You’re a Bitch!” There were about 18 other members in attendance. The President was silent as he has been 3 previous times when 3 other female Board members were verbally attacked and harassed by him. Although he has slandered before, he has not engaged in name calling. This time he went too far and called the wrong woman a Bitch. This was going to stop, and I was prepared to do what was necessary. As the activist and co-founder of Bellingcat said on 60 Minutes, “If you’re in a position to do something, if you have the information, motivation and strength, you should do it.” I have all of it and am driven by a passion for justice.
In accordance with HUD and California Fair Housing laws, women are a protected class group. HOA’s, as housing providers, must comply. Calling me a Bitch is considered unlawful discrimination and illegal harassment. When I found out that this male perpetrator was not even an HOA member and had no right to attend any of our meetings, my request was that he be prohibited from attending in perpetuity. The Board, ignorant of its fiduciary duties, did not readily agree; congruent with the glaring conflict of interest and influence of his partner, (now VP), who refused to recuse himself from the matter. Multiple executive sessions involving our HOA counsel yielded a draft of a long meeting decorum and conduct policy but no prohibition. So, I pursued it to the next levels with letters from my attorney and an Internal Dispute Resolution. Finally, the Board decided to forbid the harasser from attending with the caveat that if he ever became a member and his name on a deed, he would be allowed. I take the win and will continue to advocate for women and all other protected classes - race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or disability. We must transcend oppression!