Staff Reports
A San Antonio homeowner just beat her local homeowners association in court after a nearly three‑year fight. Bexar County District Judge Monique Maz entered a judgment in May 2026 finding for Elizabeth Luna and ordering the Oaks Northwest HOA and its president to pay roughly $33,243.39. It’s a clear win for an ordinary homeowner who refused to be bullied by an overbearing board.
Court orders HOA to pay $33,243.39
The judgment splits into three parts: about $10,743.39 in damages plus $10,000 in attorney’s fees against the HOA, and a separate $12,500 personal judgment against the HOA president, Terri Thomure, for tortious interference with Luna’s rental contract. The ruling came after Luna sued the Oaks Northwest HOA and its president in the Bexar County 438th District Court. Luna says she has received the payments, though public court records would confirm the final collection and appeal status.
What the judge found
The dispute began after the HOA tried to impose a short‑term rental ban in March 2023. Luna bought her unit when renting was allowed and challenged the amendment as improperly adopted. The court found the HOA’s procedures were defective — notice rules weren’t followed — and the amendment was void. The judge also accepted evidence that the HOA president confronted a prospective long‑term tenant in the community and caused the lease to collapse. At one point the HOA even filed a claim that blocked Luna from selling; that claim was dismissed and Luna sold the unit in May 2024, then pressed her case for damages.
A warning to HOA boards: follow the rules
This case is a reminder that homeowners associations do not operate above the law. Boards get powers to keep neighborhoods orderly, not to micromanage and intimidate owners or to pretend procedural rules are optional. When a board skips required notice or a president starts interrogating tenants in parking lots, courts will step in. If you’re on an HOA board, do your job — and do it by the book. If you’re an owner, take Elizabeth Luna’s advice: hold them accountable.
For homeowners across Texas and beyond, the lesson is plain. HOAs exist to serve owners, not to govern by whim or personal vendetta. Courts can void bad rule changes, award damages, and even hold individual board members liable when they interfere with owners’ contracts. So watch your meetings, read the notices, and don’t let a self‑appointed neighborhood boss run your life. If you find a board that’s out of bounds, take the evidence to court — sometimes it’s the only thing that brings the truth into the light.
