Renter wins reprieve from eviction notice

Martin Kuz

Tuesday, Dec. 1, 1998 | 11:07 a.m.

Lisa Hunt will get to stay in her condominium, but neighbors won't catch her feeding the ducks anytime soon.

Hunt, 47, and her two teenage children teetered on the edge of eviction for allegedly violating numerous regulations of the Laguna Del Rey Homeowners Association, which governs the condo complex. But the association board met Monday and agreed to let Hunt remain in the condo through the end of her lease next summer, provided she pay any fines if she is found guilty of the purported offenses.

A relieved Hunt, whose battle with the association was detailed in Sunday's Sun, said after the board's closed-door meeting that the two-month ordeal has rocked her family. In October Hunt received a 30-day eviction notice from Oishi Property Management, which screens potential renters for Laguna Del Rey, that left her wondering whether she would have a home after Nov. 30.

"I'm still angry. This was very intense, especially for my children. One day we have a place to live, the next day we didn't know if we were going to be homeless. But it was in God's hands and he took care of it today," she said.

The association has accused Hunt, a unit secretary at University Medical Center, of several violations of its regulations since she moved in July 17.

Hunt was cited for damaged window blinds and for feeding ducks that visit the complex's man-made ponds. She and her children have been accused of walking into the complex by forcing open its exit gate, and other residents have complained about Hunt's kids skateboarding in the complex, according to the association.

Hunt conceded that she had fed the ducks on occasion and once entered the complex through the gate -- although it was ajar at the time, she insisted. Hunt denied the other charges, contending that the blinds were bent when she moved in and that her children have been mistaken for others skateboarding through the community.

Neither the board nor the company that oversees the association, Eugene Burger Management of Nevada, have the power to evict renters.

But Oishi Senior Property Manager Carol Crawley said the association's repeated citations alarmed the condo's owners, Gwen and Henry Chun, who live in Hawaii. Worried that they might be penalized for Hunt's alleged actions and unable to investigate the charges from afar, the Chuns asked Oishi officials to take care of the problem. That prompted the eviction notice, Crawley said.

After attending Monday's meeting in support of Hunt, Crawley predicted that the association and Burger Management officials will "cool down and leave her alone."

Board members declined to comment on Hunt's case. Nick Damian, property manager for Burger Management, could not be reached for comment. He previously told the Sun that the charges against Hunt stemmed from the complaints of three or four Laguna Del Rey residents.

Board members will determine in the next several days whether to fine Hunt. Regardless of their decision, she plans to steer clear of the ducks.

"I won't feed them from now on. I thought it was a nice thing to do, but I won't anymore, not if it's going to make people so upset," she said.

Ted Samuels, a neighborhood activist who has been involved in assorted homeowner association issues, also attended the meeting on Hunt's behalf. He called her victory a small triumph in the ongoing fight to keep associations and management companies from overreaching their authority.

"We've won. We turned something around here today," Samuels said. "This poor woman didn't know anyone, and thank God we've been able to turn some things around."