HOATalk.com's Forum hears a New York commenter speculating what he ought to do with a secret audio & visual recording claimed recorded at a Board of Directors Meeting of a HOA Home Owners Association.

Says it was given to him privately by a HOA Director also in attendance at that Meeting. ( The topic's raised by a non-Director who is about to happily sell & move out of the HOA community. He had sued the dickens out of that HOA Board. )

The secret audio & visual recording given to him - IF IT'S GENUINE - catches the N.Y. HOA President crudely VILIFYING & ISSUING THREATS AGAINST certain HOA Owners by name. Some such are below albeit sanitized & not personally targetted by name as allegedly done by that HOA President.

1 - HOATalk Forum commenters & their communities are kept secret. This commenter Paul J may be a retired or inactive lawyer who is gladly moving out after experience suing his HOA Board including by the challenging "derivative action" legal remedies. They're complex remedies with awards only to owners generally . )

For Paul J with escape on the horizon from oppressive governance, should he now share the tapes at least with some of those about to become his ex-neighbours, particularly the HOA President's identified targets ? Or with ALL owners ?

2 - Open Mikes & Secret Recordings

Incredible fakes are possible .

Is the audio & visual recording genuine ?

AND IF SO what happens if it gets provided to the targetted non-Director owners as listed by name - not PAUL J incidentally.

What will they & others think after hearing such as : "I'm going to get him!" ? OR "That f_ing #*&#!" ? OR "That piece of #(#*"

Not likely those will make it into the Board Minutes.

Bear in mind that defamation or slander - so called 'hurt speech' - is described as usually less actionable in many U.S. jurisdictions than Canada. If - IF - not malicious ( ? ? ) could the vulgarities & threats get some shelter as qualified privilege or fair comment on a matter of common HOA interest . . etc ?

3 - What might happen if the community sees & hears this ? Open mikes can embarrass big time but are memories short ?

( Think : “A Face in the Crowd 1957 “; dir Elia Kazan ) : A live mike retributively gets left open at the end of a nationwide 1950’s TV broadcast by fictional good ole' boy TV star “Lonesome” Rhodes. And suddenly America discovers that its beloved Will Rogers sorta good ole’ boy - or wholesome Andy Griffith - Sheriff Andy of Mayberry 1960-68 ) really thinks they’re stupid yokels & idiots ! )

4 - HOATalk Forum commenters kick around what other Board members SHOULD have done thereafter. As in : quickly stifling such comments.

If the recordings ARE genuine, at least one Director dared to put one in Paul J's hands. Could also mean that the President's supporters on the Board prevented any internal disavowals etc . .

But can a viewer deduce the point of recording & thereby the leaker's identity in this toxic environment ?

Topic “HOA board president called numerous owners 4-letter words at board meeting” https://www.hoatalk.com/Forum/tabid/55/forumid/1/postid/285199/view/topic/Default.aspx

( HOATalk.com Forum May 30/20 )

New York HOA Home Ownership Association Board member reportedly feeds another secret recording to departing HOA owner ( possibly a semi-retired lawyer; that departing owner reports in the past having been forced to wreak havoc on this HOA including by the complex derivative remedy not for the faint of heart. )

Topic : "HOA president tells members of "other" political party to leave HOA “ https://www.hoatalk.com/Forum/tabid/55/forumid/1/postid/286032/view/topic/Default.aspx

" At a recent board meeting, the president of the HOA shouted that "all [members of name of party] should get the h_ll out of this f_c_ing building". The president then yelled, "I hate those f_c_ers".

The meeting was held on Zoom (with board members only) and one board member recorded it..” . . . -unquote

Again the topic poster muses whether this latest anonymous "slice of life" - if there are such recordings and they are accurate - should be shared with the general ownership ? . . . . Or shared with the media ?