A federal appeals panel affirmed an award of nearly $148,000 against a collections agency that hounded a Cobb County couple after a dispute over an erroneous $125 homeowners association fee “spun out of control” and left them saddled with a lien on their home and a collections lawsuit.

Jeffrey and Pamela Cross fought the assessment, which grew to more than $2,000 with fees and other charges, for four years during which they were repeatedly called by a collections agent  and were barred from the neighborhood pool and other amenities.