Beneath the facade of one of Brentwood’s most affluent communities, neighbors have come toe-to-toe in federal court over allegations of wiretapping, fraud and public, vulgar name-calling.

A homeowner in the gated Hampton Reserve subdivision has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Nashville alleging that neighbors and former homeowners association officers fraudulently tried to obtain portions of neighborhood common land and then suppressed opposition by intercepting and blocking community emails between residents, charges the defendants hotly deny.

Susan DeCuyper is suing former Hampton Reserve Home Owners Association board members Amy Flinn, Joy Nebel and Sue Ruta on charges of defamation and invasion of privacy, according to the complaint. Robert Nebel, Joy Nebel’s husband,  also is named as a defendant.  Read more: