The firm’s latest Miami Herald “Real Estate Counselor” column was authored by Michael L. Hyman and appears in today’s edition of the newspaper. The article, which is titled “Boca Condo Offers Case Study in Pitfalls of Prolonged Litigation for Associations, Owners,” focuses on the takeaways from the ongoing epic litigation involving the Boca View Condominium that has been covered by the Sun Sentinel. His article reads:
. . . This latest of several articles by the newspaper on Boca View’s litigation chronicles how unit owner Eleanor Lepselter is now asking the court to find the association in contempt and impose fines of $500 a day until it complies. It states that deadlines set by two court rulings for the association to produce the records have already passed, and the motion for contempt that was filed on Feb. 21 accuses the association of having no plan to release the records.
The case dates back to February 2019 when Lepselter submitted written requests to the association’s property manager seeking to inspect financial records for the four-story, 72-unit property that lies between the Intracoastal Waterway and Atlantic Ocean in Boca Raton.
Her request stated she had appointed her attorney to conduct the inspection, and the attorney’s request cited a provision of Florida’s condominium laws requiring associations to make such records available to unit owners or their personal representatives.
The association responded by designating a time for Lepselter to inspect its financial records, but it refused to allow her attorney to accompany her. She challenged that decision by filing for arbitration with the state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and the agency’s arbitrator found in her favor.