A Fort Worth judge issued a summary judgment March 24 in a lawsuit brought against the Arlington Board of Realtors, or ARBOR, last year by some of its members that alleged problems with the election of officers and questioned a reduction of more than $800,000 in the organization’s cash and investment account balances since 2020.
“The plaintiffs have won. They gain nothing personally from the victory, only the satisfaction that ARBOR will move forward with transparency and follow the law and the bylaws of the corporation. This came at a great price, including attacks and misrepresentations of what was involved in the suit they did not want to file, but were forced to in order to get things corrected,” plaintiffs’ attorney J. Shelby Sharpe of Sharpe Allen PLLC told the Arlington Report.
The judgment was issued by Judge J. Patrick Gallagher of the 96th Judicial District Court. It ordered “all steps necessary to allow the foregoing persons to exercise these offices,” which includes access to all the books and records of the Arlington Board of Realtors.
The suit was filed in February 2025 and came on the heels of the previous year’s unsuccessful merger attempt between ARBOR and the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors. It sought information about how ARBOR’s business was conducted.
Last year, board president Corey Harris told the Arlington Report that the allegations “unequivocally are highly inflated and erroneous allegations on their surface.” Harris has not answered a request by the Report for comment.
The lawsuit questioned the validity of officer elections in 2023 and 2024 because there were no quorums present.
The plaintiffs issued a statement after the ruling.
“We are very pleased with the court’s decision to grant a summary judgment in the plaintiff’s favor. This is great news for all of the Arlington Board of Realtors officers, directors and members as we can now return to a fully transparent and properly governed nonprofit association,” the statement reads. “Further, it is great news for other nonprofits associations in the State of Texas and across the entire United States. This lawsuit was never about any personal gain on the part of the plaintiffs but rather to protect the association we have loved for many decades. We are anxious to move forward in serving our members with excellence.”
On March 12, Gallagher held a hearing at which he heard a motion by plaintiffs Martha Dent, Coy Garrett, Tracy Stanley, Jamie Adams, Sundee Hinchliffe, Dee Davey, Larry W. Johnson, Amy Cearnal, Paula Wommack, Mike Hale, Shannon Moser and Sharon Parrish.
Lance Murray is a freelance contributor covering business for the Arlington Report. At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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