The Confrontation
Angela decided to address the HOA board directly, asking why they claimed the ramp needed to be removed. Although it was an uncomfortable conversation, the new HOA president said that it was visually unappealing. Angela fought back saying that she would not comply with their unreasonable request, saying that she had rights.
The Confrontation
The Notification
Angela refused to remove the ramp, and she soon received a notice from the HOA that informed her that a lien had been placed on her home and in order to stop it, she would have to comply with their request to remove the ramp. She was furious, but she realized that this was a much bigger issue than she had initially anticipated.
The Notification
A Sad Day
Feeling defeated, Angela asked her husband Garrett to bring the ramp into the house. He refused at first, telling her that they couldn’t give up. However, when she showed him the notice about the lien, he too began to rethink the situation.
A Sad Day
Options
Angela and Garrett talked through the options they had, and although they had different opinions about the next move, they knew that had to make a decision and stick to it. What should they do? Did they have any right to keep the ramp outside? Could the HOA be defeated in this argument?
Options
Full Force
Garrett was in favor of fighting back and taking on the HOA, and was even willing to go to court. Angela was worried about doing that, as she wanted to avoid issues as much as possible, especially since it involved their home. They didn’t know that the HOA was about to make the situation even worse.
Full Force
Voicing His Opinion
Garrett was furious, saying that the HOA absolutely could not be doing this to them, but Angela was worried about what else they could do to them. She had already heard stories involving the HOA and their influence over the community, even forcing people to move out of their homes.
Voicing His Opinion
Not Listening
Even though Angela begged him not to take them on, Garrett didn’t listen to her. He was so angry that the HOA was threatening them. Angela knew that Garrett had already made up his mind and there was no convincing him otherwise. The next morning, she got a new surprise.
Not Listening
The Next Day
The next morning, when Angela woke up, she noticed that Garrett wasn’t there. She started to feel anxious. She got into her wheelchair and began to look around the house. Was he still there or had he gone to confront the HOA? Could she still stop him? When she went into the kitchen, she was stunned.
The Next Day
Good Dad
Angela saw Garrett making breakfast, with their daughter Mary already eating. He told Angela that he also made her breakfast, putting a place of scrambled eggs in front of her. While this was nice, she was confused about what was going on.
Good Dad
Compensation
Garrett said that he wanted to make breakfast before leaving the house, and immediately Angela began to worry. Where was he going? When she asked him about it, he told her not to worry and that he was going to talk to the people that tried to remove the ramp.
Compensation
Making Sense
Although Angela didn’t love the idea, she knew that it made sense. These people had been very unreasonable, and Garrett wanted to set them right. Angela was still worried, but she wondered if he was right about the situation. Could his response be the more correct way to handle the situation?
Making Sense
Lie Low
Angela just wanted to move on and forget about the whole ordeal. She thought that things could go back to normal once it all blew over. She knew that the HOA would be quick to move on to the next family to bother about violations.
Lie Low
Not Convinced
However, Garrett was not convinced. He figured that they couldn’t do this, as it would mean Angela would be stuck in the house. Who was right, Angela or Garrett? He hoped that he was doing the right thing, but he knew that he couldn’t just sit back and let this happen.
Not Convinced
What to Do
They knew that they had to get the ramp back up, but they were hesitant about dealing with the HOA in general. What was the right thing to do?
What To Do
No Choice
Angela thought that listening to the HOA was the right move, and that since she was the one who was impacted by the ramp, she should be the one who decides. She told Garrett that she thought the right thing was to just let it go, even though she would be the one that would ultimately suffer.
No Choice
Wanting to Go Back to Normal
All Angela wanted was for everything to go back to normal and move on, but she didn’t know what else the HOA had in store for them. The rumors she had heard about them were true, and they were not the kindest people. Most of the homeowners in the community don’t like them either.
Wanting To Go Back To Normal
Trapped
Although Angela worked from home and she was used to spending a lot of time there, she began to feel trapped. This is because previously, she was able to get out for a bit. Now, she couldn’t leave the house without any help because the ramp was no longer there.
Trapped
A Prisoner
Although Angela had previously been used to spending a lot of time at home, Garrett always had the freedom to move around, and now that Angela was more limited, he was very angry about it. It was like Angela was now a prisoner in her own home, and he felt that the situation had to be rectified.
A Prisoner
Weeks Went By
Weeks passed after the HOA’s notice, and Angela was feeling worse and worse. She felt that she had to get out and get rid of the feeling of being trapped in her home. She missed the freedom she once had, and she felt completely suffocated by being stuck at home.
Weeks Went By
Another Email
By complying to the HOA’s rules, Angela was limited to moving around just her house. So when she received another email from them, she couldn’t believe that they had another issue to complain about.
Another Email
Continuous Harassment
The HOA was constantly harassing Angela, and now that she was limited to roaming the halls of her home, she was starting to feel differently about the situation. The next letter said that she was disturbing the peace. She was outraged!
Continuous Harassment
Can’t Take It
About a month after their first letter, Angela completely broke down. She couldn’t take these constant complaints about her, especially since her freedom had been taken away from her. She felt like this treatment was completely unfair.
Can’t Take It
Must Get Out
Angela felt a growing need to go outside, and her anxiety was mounting. She couldn’t stay still, and she felt that she had tried everything to make the situation work, but she had reached a breaking point.
Must Get Out
Going Mad
She felt like she was beginning to lose her mind and that the level of anxiety was completely unmanageable. She never felt such an intense need to get out before, but she had reached a breaking point. What could she do?
Going Mad
Neighborly Advice
Angela decided that she would visit her neighbor June, who she had known for a while at this point. She thought that having a conversation with her elderly neighbor would help her ease the anxiety she was feeling. Since they were on the same elevation, she didn’t need to ramp to get over there.
Neighborly Advice
Something to Say
Once over there, June offered Angela a cup of tea, and she felt grateful for the visit with her neighbor. After that, June became very serious, saying she needed to say something about the HOA and the situation. What she was about to say would change everything.
Something To Say
Fiction or Fact
June told Angela that the HOA had no legal grounds to tell her to remove the ramp, and that they couldn’t enforce their request. June encouraged Angela to take them to court. The conversation with her neighbor sparked something within Angela, so she decided to consult with a lawyer.
Fiction Or Fact
Getting a Number
After she left June’s place, she was feeling more hopeful. Could it be true? Was the HOA unfairly and illegally harassing her? She then decided to speak to a lawyer, so should found a phone number.
Getting A Number
Professional Help
Angela’s friends suggested a specific lawyer to consult with, and so she called him. She explained the situation, and the lawyer was taken aback to hear the story. He laid out her legal options, and now it was time to decide what to do. Things were looking up!
Professional Help
The Lawyer
Angela’s lawyer said that June was partially right, but some key points needed to be addressed. They needed proof in order to legally pursue the case. If Angela wanted to go after the HOA, she needed to make sure it would stick.
The Lawyer
Waiting to See If He’d Take the Case
Although he said that there was a case here, it would not be an easy one. Despite this, he believed she could win, and Angela wondered whether he would take on her case or not. This lawyer came highly recommended by her friends, so she hoped he would help her.
Waiting To See If He’d Take The Case
It Would Be Tough
The lawyer decided to take on the case, even though he didn’t have the full picture yet. He warned her that it would not be an easy case, and that they had to prove that the HOA was going against her, a disabled woman, in her own home.
It Would Be Tough
Not So Much
Angela told him that she didn’t think it would be so difficult, and that she hadn’t given him the whole story, and that some critical information was left out. He was fully intrigued by this, and he wanted to hear what else she had to say.
Not So Much
Evidence
Angela headed to the lawyer’s office the next day, showing him all of the letters that she had gotten from the HOA since everything had started, including the complaint about the ramp and the noise complaints from her moving around the house.
Evidence
Nail in the Coffin
The lawyer told her that he now had everything that he needed, and he just needed to formulate a plan about how to bring these cruel people to justice. He began to connect the dots and plan out how he would get back at the HOA, which was clearly discriminating against Angela.
Nail In The Coffin
Blatant Discrimination
Once he read the letters, the lawyer felt that Angela’s case was a strong one, and they could prove that the HOA was discriminating against her. They didn’t even hide what they were doing, so it would be easy to prove.
Blatant Discrimination
Going to Court
The lawyer confirmed that June was right, and that the HOA couldn’t force her to remove the ramp and cause her to be trapped in her home. They took the HOA to court, and after hearing everything, the judge decided they needed to learn their lesson.
Going To Court
Violations
Many companies, including HOAs, are required by law to ensure that their premises are accessible to everyone, and that includes disabled people and those who use wheelchairs like Angela. This means that parking spaces reserved for disabled people as well as ramps should be used. If not, they could be in serious violation of the law.
Violations
Americans with Disabilities Act
It appeared that the HOA had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, which states that people with disabilities should not be discriminated against, particularly in daily life activities. By forcing Angela to remove her ramp, they had violated the act.
Americans With Disabilities Act
Ultimate Revenge
In the end, the judge ruled in favor of Angela and ordered the HOA to remove the lien the placed on her property, as well as compensate Angela for the anguish she experienced throughout this whole time.
Ultimate Revenge