Below is a review of the posts on Facebook and LinkedIn from the past week. You can check out the full posts by clicking on the links.
NOTE: remember that we now post every other day.
The posts on Monday 1/5/2026, here and here, noted family speaks out after getting fined by HOA for Christmas lights display. This is Round 2. But it’s not a slam dunk for the HOA …
A Maryland family is speaking out after they were fined by their homeowner’s association for the Christmas light display (linked and many photos in the post) at their home. What did they say about this year’s display? See the post.
The Salgado family said this is the second year in a row they’ve faced fines for the holiday lights glowing outside their home, a tradition they say they look forward to all year long. But the Salgados’ homeowner’s association threatened to fine them $50 a day if they didn’t take down their lights or scale them back.
According to the HOA rules, “no decorative lawn ornament …shall be erected, used or maintained on any lot at any time.” The rules also deal with where the lights can shine – see the post.
The association fined the Salgado family last year, too, when the family conceded their display then was much larger. About the current display, the family said, “We thought we weren’t gonna get fined this year because we did tone it down by a lot.” They said more (see the post); each reader must decide if they agree with that statement.
The potential enforcement issue facing the HOA is that there are other holiday light displays in the Salgados’ neighborhood, including homes with lawn ornaments and lights. One of their neighbors said they’ve never been fined for their decorations. See the post for details on that (which may not be apples to apples based on the timing noted in their statement and thus not harm the HOA’s position).
Despite the Salgados downsizing their lights this year, the HOA lawyers still communicated with them – see the post for a quote from their letter. In a statement, a lawyer for the HOA reaffirmed its intent to evenly enforce the governing documents – see the post.
The HOA’s response to a request for comment as to whether others have been fined? See the post.
TAKEAWAY: Each HOA must evenly enforce its governing documents (unless there is a legal reason to not do so). Consult a community association lawyer relative to enforcement questions.
The posts on Wednesday 1/7/2026, here and here, alerted us that the Senate restores quorum to beleaguered National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) along with new General Counsel.
The US Senate voted 53-43 on Dec. 18 to confirm James Murphy and Scott Mayer (more details are linked in the post) as members of the National Labor Relations Board as part of a broader package of federal agency nominees. The vote restores the NLRB’s quorum, which was lost when the President fired Democrat Gwynne Wilcox. (More on that is in our post of Thurs. 3/20/2025). Murphy is a former career NLRB attorney who served at the agency for nearly 50 years prior to retiring in 2021. Mayer is the former chief labor counsel at Boeing.
The Senate also voted to confirm Crystal Carey as the board’s general counsel.
Despite the confirmations, all may not be rosy for the NLRB. There are pending suits as to the firing and the NLRB’s independence and authority to enforce labor standards. See the post for more details.
For example, (as discussed in detail in our posts of Thurs. 3/20/2025, Fri. 4/11/2025, Sun. 4/13/2025, Sun. 4/20/2025, Tues. 4/22/2025, and Fri. 4/25/2025), Wilcox’s firing was part of a broader challenge of constraints on executive power. Wilcox fought her dismissal in court, seeking. The back-and-forth decisions culminated, for now, in the Supreme Court upholding an order staying her reinstatement (see our post of Wed. 5/28/2025) and taking up a separate case to decide whether Trump could fire Wilcox and similar federal officials at will. Oral arguments were held in December – see the post for more on that.
Separately, because of the void when the NLRB lacked a quorum, several state legislatures (noted in the post) sought to grant state labor regulators more power. The NLRB challenged those efforts. Where that stand now is described in the post.
All was not lost as the NLRB did continue to do some work while all of this was ongoing, including rescinding documents from the prior administration on various subjects such as those listed in the post.
TAKEAWAY: The saga of labor and employment agencies, their enforcement authority, and the president’s ability to fire commissioners without cause continues – employers are cautioned to keep their ears and eyes open and stay in contact with an employment lawyer as things progress (and change).
The posts on Friday 1/9/2026, here and here, told us condo owner living in van finally gets keys back after years locked out. Intersection of statutes, insurance and more. Painful story …
Ted Stegner couldn’t afford to pay two rents. More than three years after Hurricane Ian, he was living in his van but still paying his mortgage, HOA fees, and utilities for a home he literally could not enter. On Christmas morning 2025, that changed.
What did Stegner say? See the post. Stegner showed the media the twin-size bed he had put in the back of his van (which is not meant for habitation). He also had four blankets to stay warm during cold nights. Stenger did retain a bit of humor about the situation – see the post.
The only thing that head kept Stegner from getting back into his condo was the Association’s original “Unit Release Form,” which required residents to waive any claims against the association for Hurricane Ian repairs.
The media contact took the form to an attorney – what that person noted is in the post based largely on the fact that without signing the form, owners couldn’t get back their keys. The media contact also reached out to the Condo Association and the General Manager.
Whether it was the media reporting or something else, the association issued a new form. Stenger said, “It’s now called an ‘Owner Acknowledgment Form. They dropped all the claims and liabilities for the owner. They’re offering you a one-year warranty. It’s better than it was — way better.”
Another owner cautioned the fight wasn’t over. He looked to another building and the status there. Details on that are in the post.
In general, owners say the new form is a step in the right direction. What Stegner said about the mutual trade-off is in the post. And with his keys back, he takes it one day at a time, getting the place fixed up as best as he can, as fast as he can. But many owners in the other building are still in limbo – -see the post.
TAKEAWAY: When natural disasters happen, there is a perfect storm involving owners, insurance companies and the (condo or homeowners’) association. Time usually is not friendly to owners in this situation. Again, contact a community association lawyer for questions in this type of situation.
York, Pennsylvania 17403