HOA Law Blog
(a) A volunteer officer or volunteer director of an association, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1351, which manages a common interest development that is exclusively residential, shall not be personally liable in excess of the coverage of insurance specified in paragraph (4) to any person who suffers injury, including, but not limited to, bodily injury, emotional distress, wrongful death, or property damage or loss as a result of the tortious act or omission of the volunteer officer or volunteer director if all of the following criteria are met:
(1) The act or omission was performed within the scope of the officer’s or director’s association duties.
(2) The act or omission was performed in good faith.
(3) The act or omission was not willful, wanton, or grossly negligent.
(4) The association maintained and had in effect at the time the act or omission occurred and at the time a claim is made one or more policies of insurance which shall include coverage for (A) general liability of the association and (B) individual liability of officers and directors of the association for negligent acts or omissions in that capacity; provided, that both types of coverage are in the following minimum amount:
(A) At least five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) if the common interest development consists of 100 or fewer separate interests.
(B) At least one million dollars ($1,000,000) if the common interest development consists of more than 100 separate interests.
(b) The payment of actual expenses incurred by a director or officer in the execution of the duties of that position does not affect the director’s or officer’s status as a volunteer within the meaning of this section.
(c) An officer or director who at the time of the act or omission was a declarant, as defined in subdivision (g) of Section 1351, or who received either direct or indirect compensation as an employee from the declarant, or from a financial institution that purchased a separate interest, as defined in subdivision (l) of Section 1351, at a judicial or nonjudicial foreclosure of a mortgage or deed of trust on real property, is not a volunteer for the purposes of this section.
(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the liability of the association for its negligent act or omission or for any negligent act or omission of an officer or director of the association.
(e) This section shall only apply to a volunteer officer or director who is a tenant of a separate interest in the common interest development or is an owner of no more than two separate interests in the common interest development.
(f) (1) For purposes of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), the scope of the officer’s or director’s association duties shall include, but shall not be limited to, both of the following decisions:
(A) Whether to conduct an investigation of the common interest development for latent deficiencies prior to the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations.
(B) Whether to commence a civil action against the builder for defects in design or construction.
(2) It is the intent of the Legislature that this section clarify the scope of association duties to which the protections against personal liability in this section apply. It is not the intent of the Legislature that these clarifications be construed to expand, or limit, the fiduciary duties owed by the directors or officers.