What feels like an innocent enough activity, and a way to connect with the local ecology of your neighborhood, has turned into an absolute nightmare for one Texas couple.
A pair of homeowners are being sued by their HOA for feeding the ducks that live by their property, with $250k or their very home being on the line should they lose.
Why? Because they were feeding some sucks in their yard.
George and Kathleen Rowe were hit with the lawsuit after their neighbors complained that the ducks they'd been feeding were destroying the gardens and lawns of other homes in the area.
The Lakeland Community Homeowners Association, who filed the lawsuit, claims the Rowes 'broke community rules', engaging in activities that caused "unclean, unhealthy, or untidy" conditions or could "disturb or destroy vegetation, wildlife, wetlands, or air quality."
"Defendants are violating [...] provisions by continually and habitually feeding wildlife in the Community and within the Common Area," the lawsuit reads.
The ducks are then cited specifically, "Defendant, Kathleen A. Rowe, repeatedly feeds ducks on the common area despite being informed that such activity is prohibited — and despite agreeing to cease such activity."
If they can't, the HOA will foreclose on their house.
The Rowes are fighting the suit, denying that their duck-feeding activities could cause as much damage as the HOA is claiming.
Richard Weaver will be representing Kathleen in the suit said, "It is sad to see Lakeland Village Community Association waste its money by paying lawyers to pick on Ms. Rowe."
"The HOA told me 'the ducks don't belong here. If they die, that's ok'," she said, defending the activity she finds peace in, "Well, I can't live with that."
h/t: Insider
