A Stapleton woman was recently released after being held hostage by her HOA for almost a month. She was finally released after agreeing to give in to the demands of the HOA and pay them $6,500. The Stapletonion was the first to speak to the woman after her terrifying ordeal ended just over three weeks ago. “I just wanted to sell my house,” said a visibly shaken Tessa Fitzpatrick. “We had a potential buyer who asked to have the radon levels tested, and that’s when things started to go bad.”
Fitzpatrick said the radon levels were slightly high for the buyer, so they wanted to install an effective and safe radon mitigation system. “We agreed to do so, but realized it would have to be agreed upon by the HOA,” said Fitzpatrick. “These things are installed all the time, and are extremely safe. In fact, it was in the back of the house in the alley, so there was nothing visually unappealing about it.” To Fitzpatrick’s horror, the HOA denied her request. “One of the HOA members said they were concerned about radon being taken out of my house and pumped into their house, which is absurd. They said I could ask for a hearing if I wanted to, which I did.” And that’s when the HOA decided to take Fitzpatrick hostage.
The challenging nature of the situation forced the original buyer to back out, so Fitzpatrick asked to cancel a hearing which would be unnecessary at that point. But it was too late. The HOA already had her captive. “They said they would make me pay for what I did,” said a sobbing Fitzpatrick. “I didn’t know what they were talking about. ‘Pay for what?’ I asked.” The HOA said Fitzpatrick owed her legal fees in the amount of ‘to be determined.’ “I knew I was a captive. But for how long? For how much? I looked for ways to escape the situation, but I didn’t know what to do. I just wanted to sell my house.” Fitzpatrick was able to get another buyer, and that’s when the HOA let her know the only way they would release her. “They said I owed them $6,500 in legal fees for pursuing another hearing, which of course, never happened. But, if I didn’t pay up, I would never be allowed to sell my house.” The HOA knew they had her right where they wanted her. She didn’t have time to consult with an attorney or even negotiate the ransom amount. She needed to sell the house. And they only way to do that was to pay the ransom.
“I really had no choice,” said Fitzpatrick. “They could put a lien on my property if I didn’t pay. It was awful and humiliating. I knew I was in the right, but when you are dealing with monsters, you can’t use logic. I just had to move on. I got out, I guess.” Fitzpatrick’s emotional scars are visible, and there’s no telling when she will heal, if ever. She does have advice for people who could potentially become victims. “I would just say to people, if you are in an HOA, just make sure the head of it isn’t an idiotic piece of shit douchebag who likes to hold innocent people ransom. That would be my advice.” The Stapletonion encourages residents involved in an HOA to do background checks of their leaders to make sure they don’t have a history of violence, or in this case, remarkable ignorance and dickishness.
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