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A Letter
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CAI Lawyers Who Make A Living Suing And Foreclosing On Association Homeowners Masquerade as Homeowner Friend in " Homeowner Advice" Columns
These columns are used as advertorials to refer homeowners to CAI lawyers
October 05, 2002
By
HOA Voices
(View author info)
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San Juan Capistrano, California - Central to the concept of fair reporting in newspapers, radio and T.V. is the notion of balance. All first year journalism students know that all viewpoints should be represented in reporting a story. This principle is being violated in newspaper after newspaper across the country when it comes to homeowner associations. For years, newspapers have employed collection lawyers or managers trained by these lawyers, both belonging to Community Associations Institute (CAI) to write "Homeowner Advice" columns.
CAI is a nationwide trade group composed primarily of collection lawyers, whose sole aim is to make money from homeowner associations. They lobby legislatures to pass laws to make sure that homeowner associations become cash registers for themselves. Some of them make generous donations to the appropriate legislators to ensure passage of the bills.
Many of them have wheedled their way into newspapers by offering to write "Homeowner Advice" columns for them - often in the Sunday Real Estate section. An analysis of some of these clearly shows that these CAI lawyers use them to push the anti-homeowner CAI line, and to refer homeowners to CAI lawyers. Most of them are advertorials.
In one California community, a CAI lawyer is the lawyer for a homeowner association board which has been helping the owner of a private club to sue a group of seniors in the homeowner association. Though four judges in 14 cases have ruled that the club owner and board members are wrong, she continues to assist the board in its efforts. She also writes a "Homeowner Advice" column for the local newspaper. For a long time, the newspaper would not investigate the homeowners' story. Now after repeated requests from the seniors and advocates, the newspaper has begun to investigate.
Homeowners are urged to take a look at who writes the "Homeowner Advice" column in their local newspaper. If it is a member of CAI, they should write a letter to the editor asking for a pro-homeowner columnist. This can be done through this AHRC website using the "Complaint " Submission Form. Doing so enables you to keep track of responses. You have the option of keeping all communications private or post parts of it on the web with or without disclosing your identity.
Some newspapers have begun to respond. In many cases, the newspaper does not realize that a CAI lawyer has surreptitiously sneaked in through the back door. The Los Angeles TImes for years used a CAI manager as its columnist. She is a CAI leader, and regularly referred readers to CAI lawyers. After many years of protest by homeowners, the Los Angeles Times removed her last year, and hired two pro-homeowner columnists.
Such steps forward are key elements in the constant battle against the domination of homeowner associations by special interest groups. Generally, one letter or phone call will not do the job. It requires repeated letters. The AHRC website enables you to do this easily.
Please get involved in your community's media sources. They are there to provide you with an important service..... and do keep AHRC posted on the situation in your area.
For more information, please click link below and check out the articles listed below : |
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