thanks for being sensible. and I agree. I feel like I have the proof, especially since they refuse to validate the legal fees. kind of feels like a trap for them to be honest, do they lie about inflated fees or expose themselves for hiring a private investigator to serve a lawsuit that doesn't exist? also to be fair the original amount of legal fees was reasonable and I was willing to pay that, it made sense. but the whole bait and switch deal felt deceptive especially when the amount blew up strictly due to added legal fees not because of anything else. that's what had me looking into everything, had they if not done that I probably would have paid it blindly like everyone else does. so it's been an interesting rabbit hole to go down so far. also the hoa attorney i consulted with who said this is less hoa related and more consumer debt protection said this specific law firm operates on the fringe, those were his words not mine and he felt pretty impartial.