NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Leaders in The Governor's Club, one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the area, say no one is immune to mismanagement. They are suing their old property management company for failing to turn over critical accounts and documents.
Neighbors say in order to run their neighborhood, they shouldn't have to resort to a lawsuit. They say their situation is yet another example of why homeowners need more protections.
The Governor's Club has the keys to some of the most expensive homes in the area, but they cannot get through the door to their own financial records. The neighborhood says they are missing money and are locked out of key financial documents and information they need to run their community.
The multi-million dollar subdivision is now spending money to gain access to records and bank accounts holding their homeowner dues. The owner of those accounts is their old property manager, former Brentwood Mayor Mark Gorman, and his company, AtoZ.
"They were told their name's not on the account. They couldn't get it," Governor Club's attorney, John Harris said.
I first started looking into this company almost a year ago. I have been following this story since last year when it started as an ethics complaint against Gorman. Now, months later, the legal fight has followed him out of office.
In splitting from their property management company, attorney John Harris says The Governor's Club cannot move forward paying taxes or maintaining their neighborhood. He says the records they do have were in such disarray that professional accountants could not complete an audit.
"The bigger the pool of money, the bigger the risk that money is going to get skimmed, diverted, or just carelessly accounted for," Harris said.
"We don't know if this is intentional misconduct or if this is a lack of professional management skills," Harris said.
Harris falls short of calling it fraud. Gorman's attorney, Gino Bulso, who is also a Republican state representative in Brentwood, says Gorman upheld all his duties to The Governor's Club and did everything he was supposed to.
The deadline for Gorman to respond to the lawsuit is coming up in about two weeks. I will be sure to follow up.
The issue of refusing to maintain and turn over complete HOA records appears to be all too common across Tennessee, not only to Harris but also to folks who say policies around HOAs need to change.
"It's very common we see it in all the states. It's the same story over and over again," Patrick Johansen, Founder of HOA Reform said.
"It's true the organizations, people living in those organizations, end up paying," Harris said.
If you have thoughts on this story, please email me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
