The relationship between Network of Neighbors and Edgartown public relations specialist Danielle Pendergraft continued to unravel this week when Mrs. Pendergraft and her husband resigned from the nonprofit board hours before the remaining members voted to oust them.

Earlier in the week, Mrs. Pendergraft appeared in small claims court before clerk/magistrate Liza Williamson in connection with a $7,000 claim by Vineyard Web designer Kathleen Forsyth that she was never paid for work she did on a Network of Neighbors Web site. Through her lawyer, Kristen Scammon of Boston, Mrs. Pendergraft contends that any claim the Web designer might have is against Mrs. Pendergraft’s Texas-based employer, Holiday Public Relations & Events, and not her personally. The clerk/magistrate said she would rule on the claim in a week or so.

The events are the latest in an increasingly complicated and testy relationship between Mrs. Pendergraft and the founders of the nonprofit, which was created a year ago by Edgartown residents Squire Rushnell and his wife Louise DuArt to help foster small acts of charity among Vineyard residents.

Mr. Rushnell, a former network news executive, and Ms. DuArt said they became acquainted with Danielle and Scott Pendergraft, who had recently relocated to Edgartown from Houston, Texas, and asked them to join the board. Mr. Pendergraft was named treasurer.

In March, Mr. Rushnell and Ms. DuArt stepped down from the board, saying later they were concerned about the use of funds that had been intended for the nonprofit. On May 16, four remaining board members sent a letter to the Pendergrafts demanding they step down from the board, noting that Mrs. Pendergraft had failed to disclose a prior federal criminal record for fraud. Federal court records show Mrs. Pendergraft, who then was named Danielle Pauline Ravitch, pleaded guilty in 1996 to nine federal charges in connection with the use of false Social Security numbers.

“Serving on the board of a nonprofit organization requires the establishment of a trust with its donors,” the board wrote.

In a lengthy letter e-mailed Wednesday to board members and supplied to the Gazette by Ms. Scammon, Mr. Pendergraft defended the use of funds and said he and his wife believed that the Network of Neighbors board had already been legally dissolved.

“Danielle and I do not want anything further to do with NON, but certainly do not intend to stand in your way as you attempt to revitalize this organization,” he wrote. “Subject to and notwithstanding our position that the organization has been properly dissolved, Danielle and I hereby resign from the board of Network of Neighbors.com Inc.”

The board later met Thursday and voted to remove the two.

Last week, Mr. Rushnell and Ms. DuArt were served with a lawsuit from Holiday Public Relations claiming they failed to pay $43,073 for some 96 hours of work performed by the company on behalf of Network of Neighbors. Mrs. Pendergraft is an employee of the firm.

In an affidavit, Mr. Rushnell claims that a contract Holiday claims he and his wife signed for the work was created using the signature page from another document.