Answer: If the boat sinks, its owner may be able to look to his insurance carrier for recovery. However, if the Association sinks, perhaps the only recourse to the owners is to look to the board members for recovery of any loss. Each board member runs the risk they will be sued personally, where there probably may not be any insurance coverage. However, presumably the board carried Directors and Officers insurance (check with management if they are still around) and file claims immediately. You should be able to find some lawyer to assist.

Members of a Board are governed by one standard: (l) fiduciary duty. But many states have protected boards who make mistakes by enacting the business judgment rule but that still require boards not to violate their fiduciary duty. The law in your state will dictate whether the business judgement rule is applicable. However, even if it is, a board member must understand that he/she has been elected by the owners to govern their association. You cannot just “cop out” when the going gets tough by resigning your elected position. And resigning is clearly not good business judgment.

Let’s look at some of the possible consequences should there be no board. Who will pay the bills -- insurance, management, utilities? Who will enforce the rules -- collections, architectural, safety and health? And who will give direction to management for the day-to-day operations of the Association? After all, the property manager -- regardless of how competent -- cannot (and should not) take on the responsibilities reserved exclusively in the association documents for the board of directors.

As one can quickly understand, a headless association is an invitation to disaster -- and the burden of creating (or avoiding) that disaster rests solely on the shoulders of the entire board of directors.
You should also consider filing for bankruptcy relief and asking the court to appoint receiver.