A Minnesota Family Is Facing A Lawsuit Over Their Kids' Basketball Hoop
The neighbor has filed a suit to get the hoop completely removed.
A St. Louis Park, MN, family is facing a lawsuit over a basketball hoop in their driveway. The Moedings say their neighbor is abusing the legal process through “a seemingly inexhaustible campaign of bad faith litigation.” Their neighbor, Julia Ramos, argues that the kids are trespassing on her property repeatedly to retrieve basketballs.
In its response, the family says their neighbor is acting in bad faith litigation, abusing the legal process, and weaponizing legal procedure to control others’ lifestyles through failed litigation, according to Fox9.
The Moeding family says that after the case is resolved, the kids will still play sports on their driveway, including basketball.
An attorney for the City of St. Louis Park pushed back on the neighbor’s motion for an injunction, saying she presents no evidence, makes no argument, and provides not a single citation of authority to show she’ll prevail in the lawsuit against the Moeding family AKA she has zero legs to stand on because...the kids are just playing basketball in their yard!
Ramos sued the City of St. Louis Park and the Moeding family to have the basketball hoop removed altogether.
Court documents state the City of St. Louis Park believes that the hoop complies with current zoning and code, with the basketball hoop adjacent to the driveway. The Moeding family actually moved the hoop after learning it wasn’t zoned properly.
The city says Ramos's motion goes too far in preventing children and residents in St. Louis Park from peaceful play and enjoyment of their own property.
Ramos filed a motion for an injunction against the family to prevent their kids from playing basketball until the case can be resolved. She cited safety concerns and that kids are trespassing by fetching balls that bounce onto their property.
"I have not complained about the noise anywhere else or any other basketball hoops in the neighborhood. I am complaining about this particular one because it's immediately in front of my door ... My kitchen window is right there. I have to watch them. I don’t want to have to watch them," she said in court documents.
The city's response in opposition to the lawsuit states, "Ramos proposed basis for the injunction is safety and trespass concerns, but even if these concerns were valid, this unusual request drastically exceeds the scope of this lawsuit. The Court’s eventual resolution of this action will determine the proper location of a common residential amenity, a basketball hoop; it will not dictate the driveway play of children."
The decision on whether or not to grant the motion for injunction is now in the hands of a judge.
“I have lost so much sleep over this,” homeowner Lilly Moeding told Fox9. “It’s been so stressful.”
Lilly even says that she and her husband have set limits on how long her sons can play basketball outside to try and help mitigate this nonsense.
“...20 minutes and then they’re off to do something else, so we truly don’t feel like we’re being unreasonable,” she continued.
These are the same people who make remarks like, “Kids these days only play video games! Go outside and be a kid!” and then, “No, no no, not like that!”
The Moeding family launched a fundraiser shortly after the controversy started. They reached their $24,000 goal quickly, and the money donated since is going to the 612 Promise, a local non-profit that strives to give disadvantaged youth access to high-quality sports.
The Moeding family has also been invited to Thursday night's Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors at Target Center. And we’re guessing their neighbor is at home being grumpy and waiting for another kid to come along so she can tell them to get off her lawn.
