Cancer patient’s bank account cleared out by HOA during chemotherapy recovery

FAIRBURN, Ga. (WANF/Gray News) — A Georgia woman recovering from chemotherapy treatment discovered her homeowner’s association had cleared out her bank account after she fell behind on HOA dues due to her cancer diagnosis.

Ayanna Fuller, who was diagnosed with stage 3 multiple myeloma in 2022, said the garnishment happened while she was bedridden recovering from treatment for the rare blood cancer. Her doctor has given her three years to live.

“I started a GoFundMe page because of them, and I had my light bills and stuff like that to get paid,” Fuller said. “I was kind of worried because I knew they could take my house.”

Fuller had been working two jobs — as a bus driver for Atlanta Public Schools in the morning and for Delta Air Lines at night — when she received her diagnosis.

Fuller’s doctor told her she had to choose one job, so she stayed with Atlanta Public Schools.

“As long as I’m around these kids, I feel alive,” Fuller said.

However, nearly three years into her diagnosis, Fuller said her doctor advised her to stop working altogether and apply for disability.

Home represents biggest achievement

Fuller bought her home in the Lester Point community of Fairburn, about 20 miles south of Atlanta, in 2007. The purchase represented a major milestone for someone who grew up in Bowen Homes public housing.

“I came from ... the projects,” Fuller said. “I was just so proud of myself that I did. I finally did it.”

After her diagnosis, Fuller said she went on family medical leave and contacted her loan providers and homeowner’s association, requesting payment deferrals until she recovered.

Fuller submitted proof of her treatment to lenders, who deferred her house and car payments. However, the HOA’s management company, Sentry Management, still required annual dues of $350, and fees began accumulating when she couldn’t pay.

“I said, ‘OK, let me pay y’all at least $50 or $100 a month,’” Fuller said. “I paid that all the way to November, then I got really sick again and I had to go back to the hospital. So, I couldn’t go back to work.”

Because Fuller owed money, the management company referred her case to the HOA’s attorneys at the Dunlap Gardiner law firm. In June, Fuller received a letter from her bank notifying her that her account had been overdrawn.

“I was in bed sick. I had just come from chemo matter of fact,” Fuller said.

The law firm had taken $828.54 plus a $125 legal fee, overdrafting her account by $855.

“It made me feel empty,” Fuller said.

Community faces widespread HOA issues

Fuller’s situation reflects broader problems in the Lester Point community.

Atlanta News First Investigates recently reported that several homeowners claim fines and fees from Sentry Management arrive daily, and when residents can’t keep up with payments, many face lawsuits.

Margot Mincey, another resident, estimated she has paid the HOA close to $20,000 in fines, fees and attorney costs over the past two decades.

Court documents revealed the HOA is involved in at least two dozen active lawsuits for unpaid dues, with dozens of liens filed on homes. Fuller is one of 10 homeowners in the community with financial garnishments from January 2023 to June 2025.

Legal process and lack of oversight

Atlanta real estate attorney Randy Williams, who represents both HOAs and homeowners, said garnishments first require court judgments.

“To do a garnishment, you first have to get a judgment from the court, and once you get a judgment, you have the option to garnish either wages or the bank account,” Williams said.

According to Williams, some property management companies make the process “robotic” without considering homeowners’ individual circumstances.

“They are not considering that these are people’s neighbors, that they have unique situations,” Williams said. “And that’s a problem.”

Wes Dunlap, with Dunlap Gardiner, said his firm is willing to negotiate payment plans if HOA boards agree, but could not confirm or deny speaking with Fuller due to confidentiality reasons.

Currently, no universal laws govern all HOAs in Georgia, and there is no state office for complaints. While lawmakers passed the Georgia Property Owners’ Association Act in 2024, adoption by HOAs is voluntary and no agency enforces the act.

In July, one month after the garnishment, Fuller received another bill for nearly $1,400 due Aug. 1.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she said. “I did sign the contract, but people can’t help stuff that happens in life. We just can’t.”