A HEATED neighborhood feud is threatening to spill over into a courtroom after homeowners were accused of bullying, intimidating and harassing their local association.
The bizarre clash started over a row about fences and policies in a posh part of southeastern, Illinois.
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Legal action has been launched as angry neighbors in the Darien Club subdivision are fighting over who is rightfully in charge of their homeowners association, reported Patch news.
Some want the current association president, John Becker, to be dumped.
Darien Club resident, Bob Dreveny, claimed that locals had voted out Becker months ago at a special residents' meeting.
However, the Darien Club homeowners association has disputed this version of events.
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Its website said in June that the special meeting to remove existing board directors was invalid.
The HOA also published a letter from its attorneys saying the meeting was of no consequence because a notice advertising it was legally deficient as it hadn't provided a cause for the board's removal - as required by the group's bylaws.
BYLAWS
But Dreveny alleged that the existing leadership had changed the local bylaws to prevent its removal.
He accused Becker of clinging on to power and added: "Homeowners were upset about policies that they were ramming through and that the board was not allowing any homeowner input."
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Even though a new board has been formed, the old board still holds its meetings on Zoom, with the leadership choosing who can speak - effectively shutting out any opposition, alleged Dreveny.
PROTESTS
This alleged blocking of challengers has resulted in mutiny against the leadership, with Becker's opponents recently holding a public protest attended by more than 60 people.
They brandished signs saying: "Throw Becker's bunch out. Back your new board!" and "Bye Bye Becker's Bunch – Say Hello to Your Brand New Board!"
Some demonstrators also posted the signs in their yard in an attempt to force him out.
But this riled Becker's supporters, who demanded officials tear down the signs.
Patch reported that Becker's wife, Marie Ciaglia Becker, emailed Ward 3 Alderman Joe Kenny about the signs.
She said a group of "disgruntled" owners were unhappy about a decision on fences - the details of which haven't been made public - which she said the association's lawyer had upheld.
Patch - which submitted a public records request for the complaints - reported that Maria alleged her husband's opponents had "bullied, intimidated, harassed, maligned, etc., members of the board and their families."
"BULLYING"
Darien Club resident Cindi Lopez also complained about the signs in an email to Mayor Joseph Marchese.
She said: "Is there something you or someone at the city can do about these disgruntled homeowners?
"It really doesn’t matter what side you are on, we can all agree that the wording of these signs is a disgraceful form of bullying.
"We have children out playing and residents driving through our subdivision all day. Everyone is reading these signs and asking questions."
FREE SPEECH
But at a council meeting in late July, Becker's supporters were told the city couldn't forcefully remove the signs, because it would go against residents' free speech rights.
Marchese told attendees: "There was nothing obscene about (the signs).
"They were just bothersome to some of the people in that area."
LAWSUIT
But now the dispute over the local leadership appears to be heading to court.
In an update over the uproar, Patch said on Wednesday that "litigation is underway."
Becker said in a statement: "The association and its board have acted in full accordance with its governing documents and applicable law.
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"We remain confident in the outcome of pending litigation and that it will fully support the legality of the board’s decisions and actions."
The U.S. Sun has contacted Dreveny and the homeowners association for further comment.
