Judge dismisses suit over purple swing set said to violate HOA color regs
A judge has ruled against a Missouri homeowners association in a dispute over the color of a backyard swing set.
Guidelines of the Raintree Lake Neighborhood Homeowner’s Association require playground equipment to be “subdued and within harmony with other colors of the community.” The swing set in the backyard of Jack and Marla Stout’s home in the suburban Kansas City community of Lee’s Summit is purple. However, neighbors not only didn’t object but supported the family with petition signatures.
The Stouts say they tried to compromise, offering to paint the set gray. But letters from the HOA threatened them with fines and even jail if the equipment wasn’t removed. In addition to the color, the HOA also took issue with the fact that the color wasn’t pre-approved. On Friday, a judge saw the situation the Stouts’ way, dismissing the case, according to Fox News, KCTV and KMBC.
“We got very frustrated,” Stout told Fox. “There’s somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 homes in our community. There’s all kinds of colors. There’s people with bright purple doors. There’s trees that are the color of this swing set.”
The HOA has not commented on the ruling.
Related coverage:
Fox News: “Purple peril: Homeowners group threatens family over swingset’s color”
