Overview
(July 3, 2024, Washington, DC) – In a unanimous ruling, the DC Court of Appeals sided with Steptoe pro bono clients Veretta Mells, Chiquita Manago-Haywood, and Sylvester Garvin, Jr., ending a long-drawn dispute involving abuse of power by the former board of directors of the Chaplin Woods Homeowners Association. Chaplin Woods is a small, self-governed community in Washington, DC’s Ward 7.
Steptoe associates Benjamin Holt and Andrew Magloughlin said, "Both the DC Court of Appeals and the DC Superior Court have handed down justice. Chaplin Woods can finally rest."
The appeal was a last-ditch effort to overturn a DC Superior Court jury verdict secured by Steptoe in 2021. At trial, the Steptoe team proved that the homeowners board levied improper fines on Chaplin Woods residents, sometimes thousands of dollars on individual homeowners, and often for parking in the spaces they owned. Our team further proved that the board hid the association’s books and records from inspection by community members. The jury found that the board breached its fiduciary duties to the community through these acts, making their continued control over Chaplin Woods illegitimate.
The dethroned board attempted to undermine the jury's verdict on appeal, but the DC Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court win for Steptoe’s clients. The Court of Appeals agreed with Steptoe’s clients that the appellants had waived nearly every argument raised on appeal.
The battle over Chaplin Woods started when our clients sought to remove a board of directors that abused its power for nearly a decade. This board levied unauthorized fines on individual homeowners for asserted parking and other infractions, including fines above $6,000, and used these fines to retain power. It also refused inspections of their books and records, among other power abuses. Fed up, Steptoe's clients called a meeting of the Chaplin Woods homeowners to oust the board and elect a new board. The old board protested the results, causing a legal dispute over control of the association’s funds.
The case was hard fought for years. At one point, the homeowners sought help from the DC Pro Bono Center for Advocacy and Justice, which brought Steptoe on board for trial.
Steptoe associates Benjamin Holt and Andrew Magloughlin delivered the appellate win. Holt also successfully tried the case in the Superior Court.
About Steptoe
In more than 110 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
