re: Downstairs neighbor punctured my refrigerant line

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My opinion (based on the limited info) is to worry less about the specific of this, and more about the fact that you now have renters below you. This might be a one-off, but who knows.

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This. Read your CCRs or Master Deed very closely before you buy anywhere, especially somewhere with large communal ownership like a condo.

One of my specialties was drafting rental prohibition addendums.

Also, make sure you know exactly what you own individually and what you own jointly with everyone else. It usually stops about 0.5" into the wall.

I hope it is this easy, and even so I'll be out a little over 2k since the beginning of this. By no means is this breaking the bank but I do think the owner of the unit or renters below should reimburse me for the damages.

I'm in Houston for the poster asking.

The HVAC company said the same about the coil. After getting quoted for replacing the coil or entire air handler I had them bring a new air handler with them so they would be ready to replace once the pressure test confirmed the issue. They confirmed the issue was not with the air handler but rather the line itself.

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Two ladies

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Lesbians? If so and its the ones that have dude haircuts, dress like dudes, etc... You will have your hands full and its all going to be your fault.

I see two possible courses of action.
First, contact you homeowners insurance. Normally mechanical breakdowns are not covered but since the line was punctured it may be covered. Worst thing is your told its not covered.
Second, the damage clearly happened during the time frame when the home warranty was in effect so it should be covered by them. You may need to consult an attorney who handles warranty issues. One of the questions I would have about suing under a warranty is whether attorney fees can be awarded.
Good Luck

Exterior wall is made of brick.

I would say frick their permission, chisel out some mortar, remove the bricks and repair the line.

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Who owns what, who is liable for what, and who has access to repair what becomes much more complicated between condo units.

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Yep, work is the easy part.

It's so easy to be self righteous about this until you're the one going through it.

Also flip it on its head. You're the owner of the below condo and the upstairs owner is now telling you that you need to cough up money because you're tenant broke something.

What did they break? Prove they broke it. Why did they break it? It's your line, why was there no nail guard? If it was the top homeowner's line, is it also their responsibility to make sure the line wasn't there to begin with? Is it a tenant's responsibility to make sure they aren't going to hit a line? What does their lease say?

It's easy to have opinions about all of these things. The reality is that your opinion is worth nothing, even with a whole lot of righteous indignation.

If that’s indeed the leak, I agree with everyone else. Make the repair in the wall. Add a coupling. The Sheetrock will be a longer fix going back the other way. And if it’s behind the TV, it won’t have to be perfect.