I could not agree more with Boat W.'s assessment of Philip Klatchko; super shady (I'll add slimy). My husband and I had a dispute with our HOA granting an illegal easement to our neighbor. I picked Klatchko randomly from internet listings (huge regrets on not checking Yelp first). We were concerned that Klatchko might know the Board members guilty of the abuse of power (since they all like to play elites in the social circles) so I asked in the email if they knew or were familiar with these individuals. He did not reply in writing so I asked him again when we met and he denied knowing these people. I got the sense through the whole meeting that he was more interested in finding reasons to justify the Board's actions and minimize our complaints. We were definitely discouraged from pursuing the matter and paid the $600 with the understanding that we would see how the Board proceeded. Subsequently, the Board was emboldened and went even further in their discrimination against us, allowing the neighbors to tap into HOA water and use our landscapers to maintain the area. They broke the terms of our Internal Dispute Resolution and allowed the owners to encroach past the CC&R maximum easement of 10 feet limit. Certainly not actions of people concerned about legal consequences of their actions. After the Board's refusal to correct the violations, I called Klatchko again..not because I wanted to work with him but out of curiosity as to how he would respond. In the email, I listed the name of all individuals on our board asking again for him to disclose any knowledge of or relationship with these people. No answer in writing so when I called to make an appointment, I was hardly surprised when his assistant told me "his current workload was too busy to take on the case'. What lawyer is too busy to take on a case without knowing the full details? For all he knows, the HOA could have illegally seized our property. As it is, violation of Civil Code 4600 specifically states that the governing board will be liable for legal costs if an easement is granted without the proper authority to do so. Too busy in August in the Desert? Any lawyer with ethics would fully disclose potential conflict of interest before taking your money and certainly would never tip off the guilty party as to whether or not legal action would be pursued.
I agree wholeheartedly with Boat W. This man is despicable and should not be trusted. read more