Declarations.
Amendments.
Common-area plats.
Old promotional maps.
That last category turned out to matter.
A week later, Charles asked everyone to meet.
We gathered in a conference room at the county administration building.
Karen sat with two board members.
Linda sat several seats away from her.
Michael attended.
My attorney attended.
Charles entered carrying two thick binders.
He started simply.
“The underlying ownership question is not particularly complicated.”
Karen immediately said:
“We disagree.”
Charles looked at her.
“You may disagree after I finish.”
She stopped.
He placed the county plat on the screen.
“Hawthorne Ridge common property ends here.”
A line appeared.
Then my parcel.
“The lake is contained inside this separately deeded parcel.”
Karen leaned forward.
“Our marketing plans identify it as Hawthorne Lake.”
Charles nodded.
“They do.”
He displayed an old subdivision brochure.
There it was.
A beautiful illustrated map from fifteen years earlier.
Homes.
Walking paths.
Trees.
And beside the neighborhood, a blue shape labeled HAWTHORNE COMMUNITY LAKE.
Karen pointed.
“Exactly.”
Charles looked at her.
“This is a marketing brochure.”
“It represented the development.”
“It did not convey title.”
Karen’s expression changed.
Charles displayed the recorded plat.
“The developer never owned the lake.”
Silence.
“The developer had a temporary recreational license from George Talbot.”
He displayed that next.
“The agreement gave limited resident access.”
“Permission was revocable.”
“Ownership remained with Mr. Talbot.”
“And the license terminated automatically when the parcel was sold unless renewed by the new owner.”
He looked toward me.
“No renewal exists.”
Karen crossed her arms.
“Residents relied on access when buying homes.”
“That may create complaints against whoever made representations to those buyers.”
Charles closed one binder.
“It does not make the HOA owner of land it never purchased.”
Linda spoke quietly.
“So we never owned it?”
Charles looked at her.
“Correct.”
“The dock?”
“No.”
“The shore?”
“No.”
“The water?”
“The land and impoundment are part of the private parcel, subject of course to any applicable state and environmental regulation. But nothing I reviewed gives your HOA ownership.”
Linda looked toward Karen.
“Why did we confront him before checking this?”
Karen’s face reddened.
“I relied on historical community records.”
Thomas, the other board member, asked:
“Did you ask counsel before going to his property?”
Karen did not answer.
Thomas repeated it.
“Karen.”
“I believed the ownership issue was settled years ago.”
“That’s not what he asked,” Linda said.
Karen looked at her.
Linda did not look away.
Charles continued.
“There’s another issue.”
Karen turned back.
He placed several HOA meeting minutes on the table.