Jeremy R. Whittaker started the Arizona HOA Legal Transparency Initiative in 2024 as a former Mesa City Councilman and quantitative finance professional focused on exposing how HOA attorneys and management companies systematically misguide boards, drain community resources, and undermine homeowner rights.
Why This Initiative Exists
In 2024, after watching my own HOA receive consistently bad advice from their attorney, I filed nine ADRE complaints to challenge what I saw as clear violations of Arizona law. Through that process, I uncovered something far bigger than just my community’s problems–a systematic failure in how HOA attorneys and management companies operate across the state.
Having previously served on an HOA board and been publicly elected to office as a Mesa City Councilman, I had firsthand insight into how HOAs are supposed to function transparently and legally. What I witnessed in my community was the complete opposite. Our attorneys were draining hundreds of thousands of dollars from our reserves while giving our board advice that directly contradicted Arizona statutes and existing Administrative Law Judge rulings.
I realized that if well-meaning volunteer board members don’t have access to actual legal precedents, they have no way to know when they’re being misled. This site is my response–a public, searchable database of ADRE/OAH rulings that exposes the patterns, empowers homeowners with evidence, and holds the industry accountable.
Accountability Backed by Experience
My commitment to transparency is rooted in years of public service and entrepreneurship. I served as a Mesa City Councilman, championing responsible budgets, open data, and policies that prioritize residents over special interests. As an entrepreneur who has started multiple businesses throughout my career, I understand accountability, fiduciary duty, and the importance of making informed decisions with complete information.
Those experiences taught me that fiduciary duty is simplest in theory and hardest in practice when professionals deliberately withhold or misrepresent the facts. Whether in government or in HOAs, when decision-makers operate in the dark, residents pay the price. That is why this project surfaces the actual filings, rulings, and statutory references you need to counter misinformation with evidence.
An Unbiased, Data-Driven Approach
I approach HOA disputes the same way I approach quantitative finance–collect the data, test the narrative, and show your work. Years spent building trading algorithms and teaching currency-market analytics reinforced that numbers are only useful when they are transparent and reproducible. The dashboard, case summaries, and firm profiles on this site are all structured so homeowners can reference the original filings, track which arguments prevail, and understand how fees accumulate.
That rigor matters because HOA attorneys often claim privilege over ledgers and invoices that should be public records. By documenting how Administrative Law Judges have ruled on those same objections, you gain precedents that help your board comply with the law instead of caving to pressure.
What You Can Expect Here
Transparent Case Histories
Searchable rulings that show who prevailed, which statutes mattered, and how penalties and reimbursements were awarded across ADRE/OAH disputes.
Follow the Money
Visualizations exposing where legal fees really go, highlighting firms that repeatedly lose on the same issues while billing communities six figures.
Actionable Playbooks
Plain-language context for statutes, disclosure timelines, and evidence homeowners can request so you know which arguments have already been validated by ALJs.
Keeping the Focus on Homeowners
This initiative is not anti-HOA. It is pro-resident, pro-transparency, and pro-accountability. Most board members are neighbors volunteering their time; they deserve unbiased information instead of fear tactics that enrich outside counsel. By comparing outcomes across communities and spotlighting ethical governance, we help boards meet their statutory duties and keep Arizona neighborhoods strong.
“The only way to rebuild trust is to give every homeowner access to the same facts I look at. When the data is public, the excuses disappear.”
If you are navigating a records request, preparing a petition, or simply trying to understand your rights, explore the dashboard and let the data guide your next step. Transparency is key.