Originally Written and Published By: Matt D. Ober, Esq.
A longstanding area of ambiguity and occasional dispute arises when a member of a common interest development tries to designate someone to attend a board meeting for them. The Davis- Stirling Act, at Civil Code 1363.05 (the “Open Meeting Act”) says only that “any member of the association may attend meetings of the board of directors of the association.”
What if a homeowner brings an attorney with them, or has an attorney attend a board meeting in their place? If the member is an entity (LLC, or Trust, for example), who can attend and represent the entity/member? If the member executes a “power of attorney,” what would that need to include in order for someone to attend in place of the member? These issues were finally answered in the case of SB Liberty LLC v. Isla Verde Association, in an opinion released for publication June 18, 2013. As a “published” opinion, it can be used for precedential value to guide associations in the future.
Isla Verde is an association of 87 homes in Solana Beach, into which Gregg and Janet Short bought a residence in 2006. They put ownership of the property first in a family trust, and ultimately in an LLC called “SB Liberty LLC.” For reasons unexplained in the appellate decision, the Shorts sought to have their attorney attend a board meeting on their behalf. The association’s attorney told the Short’s attorney that he would not be permitted to attend. The Short’s attorney attempted to attend the meeting anyway and refused to leave the meeting, which was adjourned to a director’s residence.
Later, the Shorts executed a “Specific Power of Attorney,” which purported to give their attorney the right to attend board meetings on their behalf. The association rejected that power of attorney, noting that it did not give the attorney permission to vote for the client’s membership interest. The Shorts, through their LLC, SB Liberty, filed a lawsuit and sought an injunction to stop the association from banning their attorney from attending board meetings. The court denied the injunction, and SB Liberty appealed.
The appellate court supported the lower court’s ruling. In explaining its decision, the appellate opinion noted that:
- The Open Meeting Act gives members the right to attend, and the lawyer is not a member;
- The governing documents give rights to the members;
- The proper representatives of the LLC would be its “manager” (Mr. Short) or a member of the LLC, and the attorney was neither; and
- The “power of attorney” held by the owner’s lawyer did not give the lawyer the right to vote on behalf of the SB Liberty LLC, and was insufficient for the lawyer to assert the member’s rights.
The lessons drawn from this ruling are several:
- A “member” does not include the member’s lawyer.
- A “member” can be an entity but the representative must be a properly authorized LLC manager or member, or corporate officer, or trustee of a trust.
- A Power Of Attorney completely transferring management and control of the membership may be sufficient to allow a non-member to attend in the place of the member.
- The association can tell a member that, while they may attend a board meeting, their attorney may not attend.
Your association board meetings are for the members, and unless your governing documents say otherwise, only members should be permitted to attend.
Richardson Harman Ober PC has extensive experience and expertise in representation of homeowner associations, business and construction litigation, real estate law, financial institution law, and labor and employment law. Integrity, industry, ingenuity and active involvement are hallmarks of the Richardson Harman Ober PC approach.