6 California Forms of Pleading and Practice--Annotated § 61.52

Summary

A member of a nonprofit association is not liable for a debt, obligation, or liability of the association solely by reason of being a member [Corp. Code § 18605]. Mere membership in an unincorporated association does not make a member liable for unlawful acts of other members without participation, knowledge, or approval. Liability may exist, however, based on a member’s personal participation in an unlawful activity or the fact that he or she set the unlawful activity in motion. The liability of members cannot extend beyond the principles of agency on which the liability of each copartner for the acts of his or her fellow partners is grounded [Orser v. George (1967) 252 Cal. App. 2d 660, 670–671, 60 Cal. Rptr. 708 (wrongfuldeath action against members of duck club; defendants were not acting within scope of their activities as members)].

A member of a nonprofit association is not liable for a contractual obligation of the association unless one of the following conditions is satisfied ...