Hired to manage properties, the companies frequently tell board members to not talk to contractors or others outside board meetings.

The case pitted a retired Army colonel against executives with leading developers MacNaughton and the Kobayashi Group.

Critics say oversight by state Real Estate Commission means owners get short-changed in favor of associations, management firms and lawyers.

Lawmakers killed bills to make it easier to oust bad board members and create a condo ombudsman.

Besides the Senate override, lawmakers in both chambers worked through numerous bills Tuesday, including some dealing with taxes and guns.

The lawsuits claims the Hokua board members used their positions to help themselves and each other without disclosing conflicts of interest.

The bill was proposed to deal with a rare scenario where a developer kept control of a condo board for more than a decade.

Condo association lawyers and lobbyists have successfully shot down efforts by lawmakers to ban "excessive" fees on owners.

Another resident received a similar letter for a $37 unpaid bill, a city official said.

The lapse highlighted complaints about the imbalance of power between condominium owners and the property managers.