Case Overview
Steve Hanna v. Maple Woods of Sterling Heights Condominium Association, et al.
Case Summary
Steve Hanna, former HOA president (resigned May 30, 2026), brought formal claims against the Maple Woods of Sterling Heights HOA Board of Directors for financial mismanagement, breach of fiduciary duty, violation of Michigan transparency laws, invalid board expansion, improper assessments, and illegal fining — with internal board communications revealing retaliatory intent.
Key Parties
PlaintiffSteve Hanna — Unit 32, 34955 Strathcona; former HOA President (resigned May 30, 2026)
HOA BoardBrian King, Emdad Ahmed (recognized directors); Courtney McGuire (resigned Jul 31, 2026); George Mitri, Alexa Settles (disputed seats)
HOA AttorneySheerin Siddique — Siddique Law, PLLC · 248.921.6242 · SSiddique@siddiquelawpllc.com
HOA Emailthemaplewoodshoa@gmail.com
Key Legal Issues
- Financial Mismanagement: $4,557 snow removal bill absent from budget actuals; $4,151 DTE bill undisclosed; $3,200+ multi-year delinquencies not pursued before levying the $40 assessment
- Improper $40 Assessment: Initially misclassified as "special assessment" (requiring 60% co-owner vote per Art. II §2.3(b)); retroactively reclassified only after Steve caught the error
- Invalid Board Expansion: Board expansion from 3 to 5 seats required >50% of eligible co-owners (36 of 70); narrow unverifiable hand-raise vote failed this threshold — Art. XI §11.1
- Statutory Disclosure Violations: Board missed 5-business-day disclosure deadline under MCL 450.2487 and Art. XIV §14.4(b); provided incomplete records
- Illegal Fining: Fines issued without published fee schedules (Art. XVIII §18.4) and without formal notice/hearing (MCL 559.206(c))
- Breach of Fiduciary Duty: MCL 450.2541 — failure to pursue delinquencies, cost reductions, or DTE recovery before assessing compliant homeowners
- Retaliatory Bad Faith: Internal board communications show explicit intent to send a $1 invoice "just to piss him off" and strategy to "pacify" Steve while discussing whether his requests constitute "legal harassment"
- Address/Access Failure: Despite July 20 request, board failed to remove Steve's home address from HOA accounts, resulting in the DTE shutoff notice being delivered to him
Key Event Timeline
- May 5, 2026Board meeting — Steve formally raises board expansion re-vote requirement, special assessment bylaws, and fiduciary concerns (documented in minutes)
- May 30, 2026Steve resigns as HOA President; leaves board with transition notes urging delinquency pursuit
- Jul 1, 2026Transition meeting; board already aware of core issues
- Jul 8, 2026Steve sends formal notice re invalid board expansion vote; board goes silent for 12 days
- Jul 20, 2026Steve sends three formal requests (financial disclosure ×2, second board expansion notice, address removal); board partially responds on expansion
- Jul 23–24, 2026Steve issues FINAL NOTICE; board provides partial records after phone call
- Jul 27, 2026Steve issues FORMAL NOTICE outlining ultra vires actions, financial mismanagement, demand for corrective action — no response
- Jul 29, 2026HOA attorney Sheerin Siddique issues Notice of Representation; Steve responds noting active statutory violations
- Jul 30–31, 2026Steve emails all co-owners; Courtney McGuire resigns; Steve rebuts resignation letter with documented timeline
- Aug 1, 2026Board cancels Aug 3 election; board issues official statement via PayHOA; Steve shares financial docs with community
- Aug 12–13, 2026🔑 KEY EVIDENCE: Internal board email — Emdad proposes $1 invoice "just to piss him off"; Brian calls it "hilarious"
- Aug 15, 2026Steve sends DTE shutoff notice to HOA attorney — $4,151 bill at risk of shutoff delivered to his home address
- Aug 17–19, 2026🔑 KEY EVIDENCE: Internal board/attorney strategy session — discussing how to "frame" board expansion vote as "confirmation," move DTE bill "just to shut him up," asking if Steve's requests are "legal harassment"
- Aug 21, 2026HOA attorney provides consolidated status update — no admissions, timeline still vague
Key Documents
Demand letter and case timeline — embedded for review, click to open in Google Docs for editing.
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Communications
All email threads in chronological order. Search and filter below.
HOA Documents
Disclosure documents provided by the HOA board on July 24, 2026.
📊 Financial Records
📋 Meeting Minutes