Question: Phyllis Hammond was living in Taromina, a 92-unit oceanfront cooperative in Florida, when its HOA ended its ban on cats. Hammond scurried out and bought a 10-pound cat named Sam for $100. Weeks later, the co-op board of directors reinstated its prior ban on cats as pets and ordered Hammond to get Sam out of her onebedroom apartment. Legal battles ensued, and before long, Hammond, who was living on a modest pension and Social Security, had spent $8,063, mostly in attorney fees; the co-op board had spent $11,000.
The governing rules provided that in legal skirmishes, the prevailing party was entitled to reimbursement of attorney fees from the losing side. In disgust, Hammond offered to get rid of Sam, sell her apartment, and end the dispute if each side would pay its own attorney fees. The board refused "on principle" according to its lawyer. How can Hammond end the dispute?