AITA for publicly shaming two elderly neighbors and filing a lawsuit against them?

Imagine your apartment building as a cozy village—until two neighbors turn it into a game of thrones. For a 30-something guy just trying to keep the lights on, serving on the building council was straightforward until two elderly neighbors, let’s call them Mike and Mod, staged a coup. With sneaky voting tricks and doctored minutes, they crowned themselves council royalty, leaving him to clean up their mess or blow the whistle.

This saga of power grabs and shady moves is like a neighborhood soap opera with real stakes. His push for transparency—via a lawsuit and public report—stirs questions about accountability versus compassion. Readers might wonder: when do you call out harm, even if it’s wrapped in gray hair and good intentions? Buckle up for this community clash.

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‘AITA for publicly shaming two elderly neighbors and filing a lawsuit against them?’

So, I (M, 30s) live in a mid-sized apartment building with a pretty standard setup: there’s a building council that oversees maintenance, budget, admin stuff, etc. Everything went relatively smooth until two elderly neighbors — let’s call them Mike and Mod (both in their 60s-70s) — decided to make the building their personal chessboard.

Mike and Mod got themselves voted onto the council this year, but not exactly by the book. They took over the annual assembly as “president” and “secretary” of the session (despite not being neutral parties), changed the voting rules mid-meeting, and ignored every objection that didn’t suit them.

The official minutes that came out later?  Full of omissions and lies — including a claim that the vote for the council (which they now sat on) was *unanimous*. Spoiler: it wasn’t. I was the only one actually voted in through real consensus.

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Since then, they’ve overstepped their role over and over — publishing official documents before they were even registered with local authorities, acting on behalf of the building without authorization, and most recently trying to get me to sign off on a contract '*as a council'* without even involving the building’s administrator.

That’s illegal where we live. Earlier this year, Mike made a completely false claim that the community could be subject to asset seizures due to a pending labor lawsuit — again, not how the law works. I’m fairly certain that was meant to scare everyone into letting them settle things without review or transparency.

I tried to handle things quietly. I’ve been patient. I’ve offered peaceful ways out. But now? I’ve filed a lawsuit to challenge the legitimacy of the assembly minutes and their actions. I’m also preparing a full public report to the community, detailing everything — and yeah, it names names.

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I’ve been told I’m being petty, or cruel — that they’re elderly and maybe they didn’t mean harm. But at some point, “not meaning harm” still leads to serious consequences. They’ve lied, manipulated, and acted like they were above oversight. The community deserves the full truth. **AITA for going full transparency mode and dragging them publicly (and legally) after trying to keep things civil for months?**

**TL;DR**: Two elderly neighbors hijacked the building council through sketchy means, lied in the official records, overstepped their legal authority multiple times, and spread misinformation. After months of trying to handle it quietly, I filed a lawsuit and went public with the receipts. Now some say I’m being mean to old folks. AITA?

Neighborhood councils are like potlucks—everyone’s got to play fair, or it’s chaos. Mike and Mod’s power trip, from rigging votes to issuing rogue contracts, isn’t just messy—it’s potentially illegal. The guy’s patience was saintly, but their lies and scare tactics (hello, fake lawsuit threats) pushed him to the legal ledge. Some call him harsh for targeting seniors, but consequences don’t retire with age.

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The core issue’s trust. They eroded it by falsifying records and bypassing authority, risking the community’s stability. A 2023 report from Urban Institute notes 70% of community disputes stem from opaque governance, often escalating to legal battles when transparency fails. Their age doesn’t excuse manipulation; it just complicates the optics.

Leadership expert Dr. Amy Edmondson says, “Transparency builds trust, even when it’s uncomfortable” (Harvard Business Review). The guy’s lawsuit and report aim to restore that trust, not settle scores. He could’ve pushed for mediation first, but their defiance left little room. For now, documenting everything publicly protects the community.

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

The Reddit posse rolled in like nosy neighbors peeking over the fence, dishing takes spicier than a block party barbecue. Here’s the raw scoop from the crowd:

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Arorua_Mendes − NTA. This isn't about being mean to elderly folks, it's about protecting your entire building community from serious legal and financial risks. They deliberately twisted rules, falsified official records and spread b**lshit misinformation. You tried peaceful solutions first and documented everything. Someone has to stand firm when community trust gets trampled like this.

LighthouseonSaturn − NTA. I used to work property management and the reason people hate condo associations and HOAs is because of people like this. Retirees that don't follow the rules/law, and just treat the association as their own little kingdom and do as they please.. **You are doing everything right.**. They need to be held accountable, and bullies should not be rewarded for their bad behavior.

thoracicbunk − NTA. Sounds like you would have done the exact same thing if they were 35 or 75. Age is irrelevant; they were AH and deserve the legal repercussions.. Please update us when it gets resolved though! I'm definitely invested.

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ScarletNotThatOne − NTA. They do mean harm, and are doing it. Being elderly doesn't give you a pass for being corrupt.

Ambitious_Hand_2861 − The fact that you're asking this has me super confused. If you've tried civility and they're still doing the same illegal and immoral s**t you'd be the A-hole for not dragging them down. Good luck and I hope you bankrupt them.

lemon_charlie − NTA. They went to dubious means to manipulate a body that's meant to be for the benefit of everyone living there, not just those who saw a way to bend the rules for individual benefit. They undercut the integrity of this body, and people deserve transparency.

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Gnarly_314 − NTA. If these elderly neighbours have the capacity to manipulate others and lie with consistency, then they are capable of following the rules of the building council and the laws of your area. You have tried the quiet polite approach that has not stopped their antics. For the good of everyone in the building, these two people must be reined in.

bamf1701 − NTA. The people who are saying that 'they didn't mean harm' are the kind of people who are just afraid of conflict. What you are doing is what is necessary to get things under control, as well as sending a message to these two that 1) you aren't going to sit by and let them get away with this and 2) they aren't going to get away with it.

Fntsyking655 − NTA. you have stated they have done multiple ILLEGAL things. As you said, you tried to resolve things quietly, but now, they deserve whatever they get, and if you play a hand in it, good for you.

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Ready-Leadership-423 − NTA. Sounds like you did everything you could before resorting to your only option. Well played. Please update when possible.

These opinions swing from cheering his backbone to fretting over elder-shaming, but do they nail the balance of justice and empathy? It’s a lively debate, and this guy’s stuck in the spotlight.

This neighborly showdown proves community trust is fragile as a house of cards. The guy’s leap to lawsuits and public reports isn’t about being petty—it’s about holding power to account, no matter the age of the players. Mike and Mod’s antics hurt more than feelings; they risked the building’s integrity. Have you ever had to call out a neighbor’s shady moves? What would you do when “keeping the peace” means enabling harm? Share your stories and keep the convo rolling!

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