'The most stupid proceedings I've ever seen,' said a lawyer when an elderly couple lost their home due to 'duck feeding.'



An elderly couple feeding a duck living in the neighborhood has been sued by the neighborhood association for up to $ 250,000. It is reported that couples who cannot afford money have put up their homes for sale.

Texas couple was sued for up to $ 250K by their HOA for feeding ducks

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/A-Cypress-HOA-sued-a-couple-250K-for-feeding-17292935.php

Texas couple who feed ducks should lose their home, HOA's lawsuit says --The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/09/hoa-ducks-foreclosure/

On June 11, 2022, George Rowe and his wife Kathleen Rowe, who live in Cypress, Texas, were sued by the Lakeland Village Community Association, a local community association, for feeding ducks in their neighborhood. I did. The residents' association claimed that 'the couple feeding ducks is contrary to the general plan of the land for sale, causing imminent and irreparable damage,' and feeding nearby wildlife. In addition to a suspension of spear and compensation of up to $ 250,000, we are seeking payment of legal fees.

If the compensation cannot be paid, the residents' association will seize the house. Mr. and Mrs. Rowe, who have no money to deal with, decided to sell their home before being seized.



As of 2022, 72-year-old George Rowe and 65-year-old Kathleen Rowe began living in the area about 11 years ago. Kathleen, who was depressed after losing her only daughter at the time, said she was looking forward to feeding the ducks in the neighborhood. However, about two years ago, neighbors began to complain that 'duck duck on the lawn and sidewalk' and 'garden is ruined with a beak'.

According to Mr. and Mrs. Rowe's lawyer, Richard Weaver, residents' associations often file lawsuits with the foreclosure of their homes, and he has been fined as low as $ 3,000. He also said that he had seen the family who had lost. However, many of these proceedings blame the building of buildings that violated the restrictions and the improper coloring of homes, and there are cases where feeding wild animals is a problem. It seems that it has never happened.

'I'm a certified real estate lawyer, but this is the stupidest case I've ever seen,' said Weaver. 'The rules of the neighborhood association say you shouldn't feed ducks. That wasn't written. '

Richard Gibbons of the American Bird Conservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to wild bird conservation, says feeding wild birds is a common and complex problem in many regions, whether it leads to proceedings or not. .. Especially in the United States, ducklings bought at

Easter festivals often grow out of control and are thrown away in the neighborhood.



Kathleen Rowe also said that it is likely that the ducks have been abandoned by someone, as it is not the black- bellied whistling ducks that live in the area that come to eat.

Ducks abandoned by humans cannot live in the wild, so they beg for food. Bread is the main food for ducks, but since bread is poor in nutrition, it causes problems such as deformation of wings. Gibbons also recommended that you don't throw away the ducks you bought and don't feed them even if they are there, as any food can be a local problem.

A man living in the neighborhood told the Texas local newspaper Houston Chronicle, 'I don't agree with the lawsuits of the Rowe family, but I agree that feeding is annoying. Ducks are everyone's. I'm ruining the garden. '

in Creature, Posted by log1l_ks