These are my personal images and photos that show the beauty of the view from Deer Ridge Mountain Resort and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cobbly Nob and the Gatlinburg, Tennessee area.
Just click the Play button to watch - or click Big Picture to see a much larger slide show on a dedicated page here at DeerRidgeOwners.com.
Deer Ridge Litigation Fund
Do you, as an owner at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort, believe we are ALL entitled to have access and be able to copy the books and records of our Homeowner's Association?
So, do I.
But, apparently, Employee Joe Thomas and President Luther Parker and the Board disagree - and are doing all they can to block access, publication and candid discussion of the Asinine Assessment, special deals and favored treatment - at the expense of all Owners.
What ARE they so afraid of us finding out?
Maybe it has to do with the HUGE $10,000 overcharge for my HOA Fees, special assessments, water and cable TV bill - which, in my personal opinion, is due to fraudulent intent or at least gross negligence by the Deer Ridge Board of Directors and / or General Manager Joe Thomas. Please see the posts for details.
We have no choice but to file a lawsuit against GGRC and RML in order to finally, once and for all, make it clear that OWNERS do have a right to all the information about our property and our investment at Deer Ridge.
If you have thoughts and ideas and suggestions, please post them here on this blog.
If you have any clout with the Board, convince them to stop the charade - and let the owners have the information that all owners own!
If you want to help cover the legal costs to get us the right to see the bids for $50,000 for nuts and bolts - and the other background documents for the $353,500 Asinine Assessment, please click on the Donate Button below.
With enough in donations, we can hire BOTH an attorney AND a forensic accountant for the whole process through the Court in Sevier County to make absolutely certain we win EVERY point - and never have to fight Employee Joe and the Board on this stuff again.
Even a $100 contribution will help show that you are in favor of an open and FULLY transparent homeowners' association at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort!
Thanks so much to those of you who have already contributed!
GENERAL DISCLAIMER FOR ALL PAGES AND POSTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE I DO OR SAY REGARDING DEER RIDGE AND ANY AND ALL RELATED PARTIES:
Note: The following, and the information on any and all other posts and pages by me about General Manager Joe Thomas, GGRC, RML and /or the Board of Directors and its members, or any related topics, are my personal opinions based on my ongoing investigation into the actions and inactions of the GGRC and RML Board of Directors and / or Joe Thomas, General Manager.
While I believe these allegations to be true based on my objective analysis, these opinions remain as only allegations until I, or others, prove things in court.
My goal is to offer all owners all the information and evidence that I have available so that everyone can reach their own conclusions.
Please note the obvious:
Everything I ever say or write in person, via emails, or on my blog, about Deer Ridge or any and all related entities and organizations or any and all affiliated personnel or owners, is strictly my own personal opinion of course - based, in part, from my owning a unit at Deer Ridge for over five years - and on my own personal history.
That history includes earning a Presidential MBA degree, being awarded a Bachelor of Science, With Honors, in Engineering Physics from UT, working for NASA as a rocket scientist at Marshall Space Flight Center, 30 years of CEO experience directly employing and managing many hundreds of people at multiple companies I personally started and operated (including one that I took public), 15 years experience buying and selling over $100 million of property and managing more than 45,000 rental units - AND being able to read and do four-function arithmetic.
Legalese - And Powered Wig - Off
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Welcome to All Deer Ridge Owners
Welcome to all owners of Deer Ridge Mountain Resort condos in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
My goal is to help all Deer Ridge owners to have a voice in the management and operation of your property.
Click on the TITLES of any of the following subjects to read the whole posting - and see the comments made by your co-owners. You can also type any term into the below search box, or any word or term in the search cloud.
Click the big image at the top of the page to return to the front page at any time.
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Investment Analysis For A Rental Condo At Deer Ridge
Will you really lose $40,000 cash if you buy a rental condo at Deer Ridge and use Ridge Management Ltd?
As an owner-occupied home, Deer Ridge is an incredible value with THE best view in the Smokies and great amenities.
However, several owners and would-be owners of Deer Ridge condos have asked me if these units are a good rental property investment or not. To help answer that question
objectively, I had to analyze the real moving parts of buying and owning here.
Get my complete, detailed investment analysis based on buying a rental condo unit at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
It shows what you MUST do to make money when you buy a rental unit at Deer Ridge.
Every Dollar You Pay For Deer Ridge Is The WRONG Amount!
Please read the various posts here on this Deer Ridge Owners Blog - and see my evidence and analysis which I believe shows conclusively that EVERY dollar of HOA Fees, EVERY dollar EVERY special assessment, EVERY water bill and cable TV sent out for YEARS to ALL Deer Ridge Owners has been wrong!
In many cases at least ONE THIRD of ALL owners have been GROSSLY overcharged. My calculations show that I have been overcharged more than TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS in the past 50 months I've owned at Deer Ridge.
The Board has been WRONGLY and arbitrarily ignoring the requirements of the Master Deed and the Bylaws for YEARS.
If my analysis is correct, the Board has zero choice. They MUST abide by the Master Deed Percentages.
But they haven’t.
However, if the Board knowingly ignored the clear directives of the Master Deed and the Bylaws when allocating costs to various unit types, and overcharging certain unit types on a regular basis, my opinion is that the Board and Joe Thomas may have acted fraudulently.
If they have not been fraudulent, then they have been, at the very least, grossly negligent.
Read the various blog postings - and judge for yourself.
Comments Welcome From All Visitors
You are welcome to leave your comments on the various posts on the blog. You no longer have to be registered to comment. (Even regular contributors had trouble remembering their log on passwords!)
Note that SPAM blockers are in place - and all comments require approval to be visible.
So, let's hear from you on these topics!
To view the comments, you need to click on the post topic to see the entire post and the comments.
"We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert." — J. Robert Oppenheimer. This includes the Board of Directors of Deer Ridge Mountain Resort.
I assume most of you have seen the latest Joe Thomas letter regarding the huge size of recent water bills and how GGRC is having to dig into its jeans (our jeans) for an extra $2,000.
Now, the idea of replacing the shower heads for $30 per unit is sound thinking. We replaced ours two years ago with a $20 one from Amazon that was very highly rated by other customers – one that was both water saving and high velocity. So, we agree with this step.
However…
Real Increases In Water Usage – Or Something Else?
Joe goes on to list the points of investigation that he is doing to help track down the source of the increase water usage. What he doesn’t mention are his data points.
When did the increase start?
Could it possibly be due to the one time aberration that was caused by all the water that was used for several months to high pressure wash all buildings in preparation of all buildings at Deer Ridge being painted?
Could it be due to an aberration caused by refilling the indoor pool when it was emptied last month for maintenance reasons?
Could it be caused by all the massive amount of water that is used by our “commercial laundry” that is used by RML for rental units’ sheets and towels?
Could it be caused by all of the over-watering of the pavement and flower beds where the hose is turned on but then forgotten for hours beyond the needed water that was really required?
Or, is it that these aberrations are being used to set us all up for yet another HOA fee increase come November when the “board” will be looking for all sorts of ways to raise our HOA fees by $70-$100 a MONTH just to cover the massive ongoing hemorrhage caused by the Gang of Six keeping us in the motel business with the money losing RML operation that is bankrupting our HOA?
Deer Ridge Mountain Resort gets one bill per month from Webb Creek Utility District. But they also have a comprehensive spread sheet that shows water usage each by unit number. It seems to me that a 12 month variance analysis of this report would quickly identify where the changes in water usage are REALLY occurring.
Let’s See The Real Data, Joe
As owners, I recommend that you all individually request the following from our GGRC books and records:
A copy of the Webb Creek Utility District water bill(s) for each of the past 12 months.
A copy of the monthly water usage breakout by unit spreadsheet.
Or, better yet, request that Joey and board post the above information on the GGRC blog for all owners to see and analyze. That way, we can all help Joe Thomas do the analysis – and maybe keep all of us from seeing yet another hike in HOA fees come November.
Note that several owners have told me that they have requested a copy of the monthly Webb Creek Utility District water bill(s) and Joey has yet to EVER give a copy of these out to ANYBODY.
Curious, huh?
The Missing Audit Numbers – A Smoking Gun???
All of this triggered a thought: Where on our audits do we reflect that RML last year received almost $120,000 from all owners for water during calendar year 2010?
In other words, you and I and every other owner wrote a check to RML every month for $117.25. (This was when water / sewer was billed to all owners at $117.25 before the increase by RML to $120.38 on January 1, 2011.)
This adds up to $118,188 paid into RML during 2010.
So, where’s the money showing up on the audit?
There is not a single line item on the entire 2010 audit of RML that deals with water. Zero. Nada. Zip. Yet, the checks were all written to RML, commingled with our payment of the cable TV bill and, for some, a telephone charge. Here’s what the RML audit for 2010 actually shows:
Notice that all the other pass through direct costs are show above including the Cable TV, the telephone and even the Cobbly Knob dues.
But where IS the water???
There is nearly $120,000 of deposits into RML accounts that are completely unaccounted for on this audit!
And, it isn’t on the GGRC audit either. The ONLY line item for water there is this:
Notice that the total actual water bill shown for GGRC for calendar year 2010 is only $6,952 for the whole year. And, there is NO income item on GGRC whatsoever for water.
So, WHERE is the missing $118,188 paid into RML during 2010???
And…how much of this $118,188 paid into RML during 2010 was actually used to pay the water bill…and where did all the rest of this money go???
Could all of this be part of the REAL reason that, after years of paying RML for the water bill, that Joey and the Gang are SO anxious all of a sudden, as a result of my lawsuit against them, to have the water be paid directly into GGRC starting this month???
What IS the reason for this change with such urgency???
Show Us The Money, Joey!
So, Joey, show up the last 12 months of water bills – and let’s see if they are REALLY averaging $10,112 per month.
It’s easy enough to prove, Joey – show us the proof – that ALL owners have a right to see.
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Below is the letter sent by Joe Thomas regarding the water usage.
August 3, 2011
Dear GGRC Co-Owner:
Over the last few months, we have experienced a large increase in water usage. While our occupancy has been up due to summer travelers, water usage has increased disproportionally. Since we were concerned about the volume, the first step we took was to ask the Webb Creek Utility District to perform an analysis of our water usage. We have also contacted a plumber, and asked for his expertise in searching for possible leaks. These steps are in progress. Another step that we plan to take very soon is to change the original shower heads that are still in place in many of the condos on the rental program. Those original shower heads are now 25 years old, and expel far too much water at a time. We will soon be changing the heads in the rentals units, and request that you consider doing the same. The water saving shower heads that we will purchase will cost around $20 plus tax, and then there will be some labor involved in the installation. If you would like our maintenance staff to change yours, please email Joe at manager@deerridge.com and we will charge you just $30. We feel that this change is a step in the right direction toward our water usage. Please bear in mind that if water usage continues to climb, we will have no choice other than to increase the monthly HOA dues. Currently, GGRC has been paying the additional monies incurred, which have been $2,000 or more each month.
Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Scuttlebutt around the Deer Ridge Mountain Resort property is that payroll checks to GGRC and RML employees bounced last week and/or that the bank refused to cash the checks when presented at the teller window.
If that’s true, then all owners at Deer Ridge should consider this a Red Alert!
Besides the obvious hardships it creates for employees, here’s some of the other reasons why, in my personal opinion, this is a very BIG deal:
It means that the cash balances in our operating accounts are so tight that games are being played just to keep the doors open.
It means that even in the middle of June, we are having cash flow problems.
Historically, Joe Thomas and the “board” have counted on the height of the tourist season to bail RML out from all the many months of negative cash flow during the non-prime time seasons…with Joey counting on the summer months to pay off the bank line of credit it uses up in the winter and early spring…and to build up cash reserves for when the summer rush ends around the middle of August.
If RML is already bouncing checks for its employees in the middle of the big tourist demand, it tells me that RML and GGRC are NOT positively cash flowing even during this prime time.
If there is really a negative cash flow in prime time right now, it also means that the line of credit is not getting paid down now in time for the winter months…which means that RML may end up in default of the loan agreement with the bank and the bank may call the note, demanding it be paid in full, probably within 30 days of the demand.
If this happens, GGRC is at major risk which makes all owners at major risk.
All of this strongly accents the screaming need for the “board” to comply with the Master Deed’s requirements for maintaining a separate escrow for the property’s multi-peril insurance policy payment of between $45,000 and $60,000.
According to my calculations, we should already have over $36,000 in a separate escrow account right NOW to make sure we can pay for our property insurance when it becomes due in November.
My belief is that there is NO MONEY in escrow for the insurance policy payment and that the board is, once again, violating the clear requirements of our Master Deed.
Please click An Additional MAJOR Risk To All Deer Ridge Owners so that you understand the dire consequences of the “board’s” gross incompetence and gross mismanagement by NOT abiding by the requirements of our Master Deed.
I recommend ALL owners contact every member of the “board” immediately to demand that this escrow be funded.
All of this makes me wonder why the “board” gave Joe Thomas another 10% raise at the last budget meeting! (It makes me also wonder if HIS payroll checks bounced too – or if he made sure his cleared first!)
Joe Thomas is probably already earning a combined compensation from all Deer Ridge sources of between $80,000 and $100,000 for managing a small 84 unit condo complex. Our 144 unit beachfront condo in Clearwater Beach, Florida pays the property manager $32,000 a year in addition to paying for ONE maintenance person – for a property that is nearly twice the size of Deer Ridge. Go figure.
Did You Spot THIS In Last Year’s Audits?
Many of you probably didn’t look closely at the 2010 audits of GGRC and RML – but they contain dire disclosures.
This is the screen grab from the GGRC Audit. Note that it shows that GGRC had a year end bank overdraft of $4,300! That means Joe Thomas had knowingly written checks for that much over and beyond what GGRC had in the checkbook!
The following is a screen grab from the RML Audit. It shows that:
RML had a year end bank overdraft of $34,230! That means Joe Thomas had knowingly written checks for that much over and beyond what RML had in the checkbook!
That means that between GGRC and RML, Joe Thomas had written overdraft checks that wouldn’t clear the bank totaling almost $39,000!
The CNB Line of Credit had already been tapped for $33,500 and Joey and the board STILL had almost $39,000 in bad checks written to GGRC and RML vendors at the same time.
RML is in technical bankruptcy. This happens when a company’s liabilities exceed assets.
As you can see from the audit, total assets were $52,000 and liabilities were $225,000! We are talking liabilities exceeding assets by a multiple of 4.33 – so we are not talking marginal technical bankruptcy!
Note that RML has a NEGATIVE NET WORTH of more than $173,000!
RML lost $55,000 for 2010 according to their accounting and audit. Even as bad as this is, this is still a bogus number because Joe Thomas and Larry Ohm and the rest of the board play games with the numbers.
They falsely attribute another $100,000 a year in expenses to GGRC that are clearly RML related costs – so the real loss is around $155,000 per year for RML.
In my opinion, Joey and the board “cook the books” with their false cost accounting so that Joey and the board can keep us in the motel business.
At least Larry Ohm is now admitting that he had previously LIED to all owners when he continued to claim that all of GGRC benefited from the “positive” cash flow from RML. Click Liar Larry for details.
Remember, these are not MY numbers…these are the numbers directly from the 2010 audits.
Combine this information with the stories of last week’s bounced employee payroll checks and you end up with major RED FLAGS just how dire the situation has become at Deer Ridge.
Bottom Line: RML Is Bankrupting GGRC And Putting ALL Owners At Risk!
As you can see, RML is already bankrupt. The problem is that it is taking GGRC down the tubes with it!
We have GOT to get out of the motel business. It never made sense for this small property to have its own motel business – and the dire consequences from all the number games that have been played so long here are finally coming to light.
Like a Ponzi Scheme, these games can only go on so long before it collapses on itself.
We need to shut down “Little Joe’s Notel Motel and Mountain Resort.”
We need to sell RML ASAP to stop this bleed and hopefully recoup some of the money from the sale.
For those of you who are on RML, you are losing more money than you are netting from your management agreement.
For the 20 of us not on RML, we are being forced to support a failing business venture that should never have been a part of our purchase of a condo at Deer Ridge.
If we don’t immediately get out of the motel business, be prepared for a HUGE monthly increase in our HOA fees at the November budget meeting. It will probably be dressed up as an increase for a “reserve” account…but based on all of this stuff, I think it is obvious the “reserve” claims will be yet another lie.
The coming HOA monthly fee increase of $70 to $100 a month will be Joey and the board’s attempt to keep us in the motel business – no matter how much money it is losing for ALL owners.
Now is the time to stop the bleed by amputating RML.
Help Us Force The Sale And Shut Down Of RML
Luther Parker and the board just reaffirmed their dedication to remaining in the motel business.
The only way we are going to force Joe Thomas and the Gang of Six to get us out of the motel business is with a lawsuit.
This is why all owners should join with us as a co-plaintiff in our current derivative action against these individuals. There is no cost to you to join as a co-plaintiff AND you will be able to finally see the REAL books and records on Deer Ridge.
These photos were taken around Deer Ridge Mountain Resort, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Most all of these were taken on April 7, 2011. In my opinion, what you are about to see is a dismal indication of gross mismanagement by Joe Thomas, General Manager, at Deer Ridge.
How hard is it to have our existing maintenance personnel walk this trail at least once a week to pick up this kind of trash and debris? It SHOULD be done once per day by a competent property management company! None of our 3 or 4 maintenance staff have 15 MINUTES a WEEK for this NO COST maintenance?
Inexcusable Mismanagement
This kind of gross mismanagement is totally inexcusable. How do you think this kind of mismanagement comes across to your guests and tourists? How do you think this kind of mismanagement comes across to prospective buyers?
It’s Been Like This For Months
What you are seeing is not the result of a very recent wind storm or other act of God. What you are seeing is the state of neglect of our nature trail for MONTHS due to what I believe is irresponsible mismanagement. Virtually everything you are seeing could have been fixed for almost no cost – in less than a day.
Good First Impression, Huh?
Tourists see this mismanagement every time they walk the Nature Trail or walk the property. Tourists see this mismanagement every time they take their kids to the playground. Is this the image of Deer Ridge that you want your guests to have when they visit or rent from you?
Get It Done – Now
Solve the Nature Trail problem now. No more excuses. We WILL be watching…everything.
And, we WILL be making more movies…just like this one to hold Joe Thomas and the “board” accountable.
Below is the latest video we just posted on our new Deer Ridge Owners Channel on YouTube.com:
It details the Top Two Dozen Complaints we hear from tourists and guests who visit Deer Ridge Mountain Resort in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
You can read the entire review of Deer Ridge at www.DeerRidgeReviews.com along with some other videos that we have posted at YouTube, including one on the Pathetic Pavilion and a complete video I took walking the entire property a few weeks ago.
New YouTube videos coming soon on the lawsuits and upcoming motion for Summary Judgment against Joe Thomas, Luther Parker, Larry Ohm, Margie Duncan, Tom Reise and David Barone.
Stay Tuned!
PS: If you would like to see all our growing number of videos posted on YouTube.com for Deer Ridge, please click Channel.
If you need maintenance and repair work done for your condo or cabin in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, I can highly recommend Joe Sutton.
We’ve used Joe on several occassions, and he is highly knowledgeable, versatile and fast….along with great pricing. This plug for Joe gives us no benefits of any kind – we just wanted to refer his services because of all the great work he is done for us – including a half dozen items he took care of just this week.
We just added a couple more domain names to our list:
DeerRidgeReviews.com
DeerRidgeMountainResortReviews.com
These are in addition to DeerRidgeCondo.com and DeerRidgeCondos.com.
All four of these domain names now forward to our new Deer Ridge Reviews Page here at DeerRidgeOwners.com. Click Reviews to see this new page.
Why Deer Ridge Mountain Resort Reviews?
Deer Ridge has been receiving a LOT of very negative reviews from disgruntled guests and tourists.
Trip Advisor, Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and many other travel related sites contains some very negative reviews and complaints about Deer Ridge Mountain Resort. Our goal with this article is to help get these issues resolved for the benefit of both guests and owners. I personally believe it is unethical the way that many guests are being treated by our property management company, and the way their vacations are being ruined, and hope this page will help to rectify this growing problem.
As an owner, and full time resident, at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort, we can’t help but overhear dissatisfaction from many tourists who rent condos here.
Most of the rental units here are managed by Joe Thomas who is in charge of the on site property management company, Ridge Management Ltd. – otherwise known as RML. I personally believe that the reputation of Deer Ridge is being very negatively affected by RML and its management by Joe Thomas – but I invite you to read the article, watch the videos on Youtube.com and make your own decision.
We hear a lot of these complaints from tourists and guests while we are walking the property or when we go to the office for our mail. A lot of times, husbands and wife and kids are even screaming at each other in the parking lot or on the balconies that, “They are NOT going to stay here because of…” A lot of other times, the guests are yelling at the office staff.
The reasons for all of this turmoil vary – Reviews Page shows the executive summaries of the “Top Two Dozen Complaints” we hear – and what we believe to be the root causes of the arguments and fights. Deer Ridge Reviews Page also shows the actual cut and paste from the travel sites so you can see the full review many past guests have already posted for the world to see.
Deer Ridge Walkabout Video
Also, shown below is a video also on Deer Ridge Reviews Page that shows over five dozen very recent photos of the property – so you know exactly what Deer Ridge Mountain Resort currently looks like. (We have another, more comprehensive Deer Ridge Mountain Resort Review video in the works that should be posted shortly.)
I know that many owners don’t have the opportunity to visit the property often…so this video on YouTube.com will hopefully give you, and prospective tourists, a good indication of what Deer Ridge Mountain Resort currently looks like to everyone who visits or lives here.
Robert
PS: Be sure and check out the recent video that shows the deplorable condition of Joe’s Folly – Our Pathetic Pavilion. Just click Folly.
PPS: We expect that we will be able to capture a lot of Gatlinburg tourist traffic with these new domain names along with the rapidly growing presence of our Deer Ridge Owners Channel on YouTube.com.
We want to use that newly generated traffic to help owners rent their units directly. We will be adding a special section to the Reviews Page: A listing of links or contact emails for Deer Ridge owners who want to rent their units directly and avoid paying the 40%, and other fees, to RML. Be sure and let me know what information of yours that you want to have included. There will be, of course, no charge to owners for this.
Hopefully, we will be able to greatly reduce tourist complaints about Deer Ridge by cutting RML out of the loop.
We’ve just added a new video to our Deer Ridge Owners Channel at YouTube.com. As always, you can watch in hi def and also full screen here or you can view it directly at YouTube.com by clicking the YouTube symbol on the bottom corner of the video.
The Pathetic Pavilion
This video shows the current state of the Joe’s Folly Picnic Pavilion at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort. These problems have been there for MONTHS…and it’s inexcusable state of disrepair is an embarrassment and a very bad reflection on Deer Ridge to owners, guests and tourists.
Inexcusable.
These photos were taken around Deer Ridge Mountain Resort, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, mostly on March 19, 2011.
In my opinion, what you are about to see is a dismal indication of gross mismanagement by Joe Thomas, General Manager, at Deer Ridge.
Good First Impression, Huh?
Tourists see this mismanagement every time they walk the Nature Trail or walk the property.
Tourists see this mismanagement every time they take their kids to the playground.
Is this the image of Deer Ridge that you want your guests to have when they visit or rent from you?
It’s been INEXCUSABLY like this for MONTHS.
Joe Thomas never walks the property any more?
We have 3 or 4 on site maintenance people on the payroll.
None had time during past MONTHS to have one of them fix this stuff that take less than one day?
The maintenance staff of 3 or 4 does what they are told to do by General Manager Joe Thomas.
In my opinion, I think it is clearly obvious that Joe Thomas, as General Manager, is doing a pathetic job of managing – and should be fired ASAP for gross incompetence and gross mismanagement.
Instead, the “board” just gave Joey a 10% raise.
Find Out More – Watch The Video
When you look at this video, try to imagine how this same level of management incompetent translates across the entire property – and even into your own unit.
Stay Tuned For More Upcoming Deer Ridge Mountain Resort Videos
PS: I am not an attorney and these opinions are my own. Please be sure and refer to the full disclaimer language in the side bars and the Terms of this website.
As of today, we have filed our first request for documents as part of our response to the $1 million lawsuit brought by GGRC and the Gang of Six and the $3 million lawsuit I have filed against GGRC, and individually against Joe Thomas, Luther Parker, Larry Ohm, Tom Riese, David Barone and Margie Duncan.
As you can see by clicking each of the pages, we are finally going to get the documents that ALL Deer Ridge Owners should be able to easily get from their home owners’ association. This Request For Documents includes the following requirements of Joe Thomas and the rest of the Gang of Six:
You are requested to produce and make available for inspection and copying all bank account information pertaining to any and all bank accounts of Gatlinburg Golf And Racquet Club Condominium Association, Inc. CGGRC“) for the past ten years, including without limitation bank statements, check registers and all cancelled checks.
You are requested to produce and make available for inspection and copying all bank account information pertaining to any and all bank accounts of Ridge Management LTD., Inc. (“RML“) for the past ten years, including without limitation bank statements,check registers and all cancelled checks.
You are requested to produce and make available for inspection and copying all bank account information pertaining to any and all bank accounts of Gatlinburg Golf And Racquet Club Condominium Association, Inc., d/b/a Ridge Resort Realty (“RRR”) for the past ten years, including without limitation bank statements, check registers and all cancelled checks.
Note that all of the above also requires them to give us a copy of the front AND back of every check.
You are requested to produce for inspection and copying the book required by 1″. C.A. §66-27 -113 of the Tennessee Horizontal Property Act providing that the Association ” … shall keep a book with a detailed account, in chronological order, of the receipts and expenditures affecting the building and its administration and specifying the maintenance and repair expenses of the common elements and any other expenses incurred. Both the book and the vouchers accrediting the entries made thereon shall be available for examination by all co-owners at convenient hours on working days that shall be set and be announced for general knowledge” (emphasis supplied and the Defendant Counterclaimant does respectfully insist that the book and the supporting vouchers be provided inchronological order as required by the statute).
In addition to the above, we are also requiring:
The individual Counterdefendants Joseph Thomas, Luther Parker, Thomas Reise, Larry Ohm, David Barone and Margie Duncan are hereby requested to produce all correspondence, memoranda, or written communication of any type or nature, including any electronically stored/transmitted information such as: (i) e-mails, to or from one another pertaining in any way to GGRC, RML, or RRR, and ii) to third persons/entitles pertaining in any way to GGRC, RML, or RRR.
The Truth Shall Set You Free
It is my understanding we have a right to this information as owners without the need of a lawsuit….but this Gang of Six has done everything they can to try and block owners from accessing this state law required disclosure. Now, the Court will FORCE them to give us these documents or to be held in Contempt of Court.
Once we have them, we will make copies available to all owners at Deer Ridge. With several sets of eyes pouring over these documents, we should be able to uncover any malfeasance that may have occurred.
Three Ways To Cut Your Electric Bill At Deer Ridge Mountain Resort
The cost of electricity has been going though the roof. Yeah, I know, you heard it here first.
But, have you wondered why your electric bill at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort is so high? Well, we’ve identified three possible reasons.
#1: Apparent Theft Of Services
One of the claims that Joe Thomas, Luther Parker and the rest of the Gang of Six made in their $1 Million lawsuit against me was that I “falsely” accused them of “Theft of Services.”
Well, as the following photos show, it appears that we have “smoking gun” proof of their Theft of Services that we will probably use in court against them.
It seems to me that Joe Thomas et al have no problem with the phrase, “Mi casa es su casa.” Rather in Joey’s case, “Su casa es mi casa” – which means, “Your house is MY house.”
Apparently, Joey has NO compunction about entering YOUR condo to use YOUR electricity whenever it is convenient to him. No wonder he wants a key to every unit.
It looks to me like Unit A-201 next to ours was vacant at the time and was opened so that a very long extension cord could be run to allow some of the workmen to use this Owner’s electricity. (Plus, I can only imagine the amount of gnats and other bugs that got into their unit during the many hours the door was left open…let alone the security risks of unauthorized entry and theft of contents by any one who happened to be on property, but I digress…)
Maybe the A-201 Owner was contacted before the fact – but we have seen this same thing done several times before here at Deer Ridge during the past few weeks and my guess is that this is done on a very frequent basis – without even thinking and considering that owners do NOT want their electricity STOLEN without their consent. As a matter of fact, we have seen workmen here do this same thing for EVERY walkway railing replacement done so far – using the electricity from at least 8 different owners to feed their extension cords.
You really think Joey got prior permission from all 8 owners?
You can now download one document that is a complete scan of one Deer Ridge owner’s notebooks of all his documents related to GGRC and RML from 1987 through 2009.
This may or may not be comprehensive – there were probably other documents during that time frame that didn’t make its way into this notebook.
To get your own copy of this document, just click History.
This Information Is Yours – And Can’t Be Blocked By Joe Thomas And the “Board”
However, as hard as Joe Thomas and the Board make it for owners to get copies of anything, we thought it would be worth the hours of effort it took us to scan in these 825 pages of history – so that all owners could have a digital version of their own. This way, this information will never get lost, misplaced or destroyed – but live on forever – making folks accountable.
These 825 pages took us over 16 people-hours to pull pages from the notebook, remove staples and flags, scan in and convert the pages to searchable text, replace flags, return pages in the same order to the notebooks and to post the prepared Acrobat file on the Deer Ridge Owners blog at www.DeerRidgeOwners.com as a “Document You Can Download.”
That is a LOT of time and effort – but something we wanted to do for all Deer Ridge Owners.
Keyword and Key Phrase Searchable!
In case you don’t know, if you download this document or any of the Acrobat files we provide and add it on your own computer’s hard drive, you can do key word and key phrase searches of the entire document!
This is an open email to Joe Thomas regarding the new hot water heaters that we were all forced to install last summer.
Our old one worked perfectly – but with the new one, we are only getting less than 17 gallons of hot water out of our 30 gallon tank.
If you haven’t been here for a while or stayed very long, you may not realize you even have a problem with your unit. But your guests and renters may have noticed – and you may be paying a penalty with guests not wanting to stay in your unit on any return visits.
I recommend that you all run your own scientific test on your own Deer Ridge hot water heater next time you visit your investment. It just takes a gallon container and 10 minutes. Please email me your own test results. Continue reading Are You In Hot Water At Deer Ridge Mountain Resort?
We have been told by several owners at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort that they are NOT going to make the March 1, 2010 assessment payment in light of the written legal opinion by Howard and Howard which states among other things, that the assessment if invalid for multiple reasons.
It’s Up To You
Your decision to pay or not to pay your portion of this Asinine Assessment is up to you and your own personal interpretation of the legal opinion.
However…
Do you really want to pay $1,700 to $2,750 of YOUR money this month that may be squandered by Joe Thomas and the “board” – or would you rather wait and see what we can all do together in court to stop what our attorney calls “Abuse of Power” by Joe Thomas and the “Board?”
Wouldn’t it make more sense to contribute to the Deer Ridge Litigation Fund – and get the injunction and the declaratory judgment from the court to finally get Deer Ridge under control and a real board that will comply with the controlling documents of GGRC?
Contributions are starting to come in – and we just opened a separate bank account today for all funds forwarded to us for this litigation. We need your help in getting the injunction and to finally have a court irrefutably rule on the 13 major points that were covered in the Howard and Howard legal opinion.
Step 1: Declaratory Judgment And Injunction
To get an injunction, we need to file a lawsuit asking the court to rule on the interpretations of the GGRC Master Deed and Bylaws. We need your help with the legal fees that will be required to stop this assessment – and also to have the injunction and declaratory judgment provide for the full and complete return of monies paid in by owners who have already paid.
We ask that each owner join with us and contribute $1,000 to cover legal fees and court costs to finally get this stuff resolved.
If you can only do half of that amount or even less, those contributions would also be helpful and appreciated. The more contributions by owners, the more that can be litigated and the more likely we will win the case. (Bear in mind, absolutely nothing in court is ever a 100% sure thing!)
Our goal will be to also have the lawsuit go after recovery of all of our legal costs so those monies can be repaid to the owners who are willing to stand up and fight this fight. You can pay securely online via credit card or echeck by clicking Donate or mail a check to me at A-202, 3710 Weber Rd, Gatlinburg, TN 37738.
Please make your check payable to “Deer Ridge Litigation Fund.”
This $1,000 is a LOT cheaper than paying the outrageous amounts ranging from $3,400 to $5,500 for this illegitimate “special” assessment. Any unused funds will be returned, pro rata, to those Deer Ridge owners who contributed.
Tired of The Way Things Are Done At Deer Ridge?
Right here, right now is the right place and time to finally stop all of the abusive practices of Joe Thomas and the “Board.”
Now is the time to finally force this “Board” and all future boards to FULLY abide by our controlling documents.
Now is the time to stop Joe Thomas and the “Board” from operating Deer Ridge as if it was there for their own personal use – with them all getting paid several thousands of dollars each year in improper and illegitimate salaries, expense checks and other benefits – all illegally paid to them by money they get from you and me!
The First Lawsuit
This will be the first lawsuit out of several that I expect will be forthcoming. This one will stop the assessment and get a judge to rule on the RIGHT interpretation of our own Master Deed and Bylaws. You’ve heard what my opinion is. You have now heard the opinion of independent legal counsel. Neither of these, no matter how crystal clear they are, is going to stop Joe Thomas and Luther Parker and the rest of the “board.” Apparently, they all have way too much to lose if things are going to be interpreted by the Court the same way they are interpreted by independent legal counsel – and Joe and Luther are willing to squander even more Deer Ridge owners’ money to protect themselves and the illegitimate ways they have been doing things.
Hence, the need for this first lawsuit.
We believe that this first suit will be relatively straightforward and cost between $5,000 and $10,000 – depending on how much Joe and Luther are willing to fight their totally indefensible positions. This amount does NOT count the legal fees that Joe and Luther will spend of GGRC’s money. However, our intention will be, with our expected victory to turn around and file suit against Joe Thomas, Luther Parker and the rest of his “united Board” individually for their gross negligence in fighting this first suit.
Joe Thomas and the “board” have counted on the cost and time requirements of bringing a lawsuit being so much aggravation that no owner would actually do it. Based on this, they have continued to increase their abuse of power to the point that they feel entitled to run Deer Ridge any way THEY want to – irrespective of Deer Ridge law.
Now is the time to finally stop them. Now is the time to prove them wrong.
If you are tired of this abuse of power, tired of Joe Thomas operating Deer Ridge as if it was his own private property, tired of being overcharged, tired of being ignored, tired of being charged $50,000 for “nuts and bolts”, then NOW is the time to finally stop them – by joining with us in the lawsuit so that, once and for all, we can have a court give control of Deer Ridge back to the owners.
Please send your donations in today!
The Next Lawsuit – One Bedroom Owners Only!
Once we have gained victory with the first lawsuit, our intention is to immediately gather as many current and past owners of 1-1 units at Deer Ridge and individually sue Joe Thomas and each board member for gross negligence in overcharging all 1-1 units owners by 82% each and every month! We calculate that just for our own unit, we are owed back over $10,000 they have stolen from us through this overcharge that Luther Parker calls “fair and equitable.”
Considering that there are 30 1-1 units at Deer Ridge representing 36% of ALL units, and considering all the past owners of 1-1 units that may have had to sell because of this illegitimate overcharge, we expect the size of this aggregate award might be massive. And, since we will try to show that it was done ultra vires, that means we will be looking to get all of our money directly from Joe Thomas and each member of the “Board” personally. So, we are not going to be suing ourselves – we will be suing them, jointly and severally.
However…
Attention all 1-1 owners – to get to this lawsuit, we need your help with the first lawsuit since one of the 13 major points is that all assessments (monthly HOA fees, water, cable TV, etc.) must be paid in accordance with the Master Deed Percentages. By winning just this one point with the first lawsuit, I expect to save $2,400 each year in overcharges for my ownership at Deer Ridge. If my calculations are right, all 1-1 owners will see this same $2,400 a year savings.
So, especially for 1-1 owners, it makes abundant sense to contribute $1,000 to the Deer Ridge Litigation Fund.
Check out our new Deer Ridge Owners webcam for the current view from our balcony!
Just click the photo for the most recent update. Updated every 5 minutes.
Top 10 Cam Award!
Our new Cobbly Nob TN site was just chosen as an Earthcam Top 10 Webcam!
All of this in just our first two weeks of operation - and before we install our new wide angle, high definition lens! Stay tuned for even better images!
EarthCam, Inc. is the global leader in providing webcam content, technology and services and ranks among the top 1% of all websites. EarthCam.com is the world’s favorite webcam network and the EarthCam Network cameras have been seen on top news shows, including CNN’s Headline News.
New YouTube Channel For Deer Ridge Owners!
Check out ALL of our videos on our new YouTube Channel for Deer Ridge Owners:
We already have videos that will walk you around the whole property and give you reviews from past guests and tourists. Find out what they REALLY have to say about Deer Ridge!
We are adding even more videos in the next few weeks - so check out our Deer Ridge Owners Channel often!
Update: Just added two new videos for a total of 20 videos so far! Check them out!
Owner Files $3 Million Lawsuit Against HOA, General Manager And Board Members
A homeowner in Gatlinburg, Tennessee has filed a $3 Million Lawsuit against his HOA, General Manager And All Individual Board Members at Deer Ridge Mountain Resort.
In response to their meritless, retaliatory $1 Million defamation lawsuit against me, I have now filed a $3 Million lawsuit against Deer Ridge Mountain Resort, AKA Gatlinburg Golf and Racquet Club HOA and Joe Thomas, Luther Parker, Larry Ohm, Margie Duncan, David Barone and Tom Reise, all as individuals.
If you believe in free speech as much as we do, we need your help - no matter where in America you may live.
The Deer Ridge HOA board and individual board members have filed a $1 Million Lawsuit against me in their ongoing attempts to stop this blog and have its contents removed. Click Press Release for details.
This power clique wants to continue to block free speech on this property and to keep their illegitimate secrets hidden from other owners.
They are willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars of other owners' money on legal fees to keep themselves in power while they continue to break both Tennessee state law and Deer Ridge property law.
We need your help with the legal fees that will be required to force them to abide by the law - and insure that Deer Ridge Mountain Resort is entitled to free speech like the rest of America.
If you would like to join with others who believe in free speech and believe that all of the 305,000 Home Owner Associations across the nation should be protected from tyrannical boards that ignore the laws, please click the
Donate Button below.
Even a donation of just a few dollars would be very greatly appreciated as a way of showing that we have financial support from thousands of Americans for these important issues!
Thanks so much to all of those of you who have already contributed!
Please help us broadcast this Press Release to others you know who can spread the word. You are welcome to link to this site from Twitter, Facebook or other sites.
With your help we can fight and win this $1 Million lawsuit - and keep this blog active - and an inspiration and model for other HOA Abuse Blogs across the nation.
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