Family Says HOA Threatening To Sue Over Purple Play Set In Their Backyard

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(WDAF-TV)

Is the color purple harmonious with nature? That depends on who you ask: one Missouri homeowners association says a purple play set in the backyard strikes a discordant note with its environment, but the family who owns it says it fits in perfectly with fall foliage. The family says the HOA has threatened to sue them over the swing set and slide.

Though the owners of the purple swing set acknowledge that there are rules regarding the color of play equipment, the family says they’re not violating those guidelines.

“There’s nothing in the rules about color,” the mom told WDAF-TV. “What it says is it has to be harmonious with the community and with nature and there is nothing that dictates the color of the swing set.”

She says that many trees in the neighborhood turn purple ever fall, so she feels like that goes along with the rules. And more than a dozen of her neighbors agreed, she adds, signing a petition to allow the play set to stay, but the HOA isn’t appeased. The family says the HOA sent a letter saying they didn’t get the swing set properly approved when it was built, and that color needs to be pre-approved. Another letter says a lawsuit will cost the family “greater than any [principle] you are trying to prove.”

The family said it had agreed to change the color, but that every color they suggested was deemed “too pastel” by the HOA. The mom says they’ve now hired an attorney and are prepared to fight.

“It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” she said, adding later, “If anything just drop it and say you are sorry and move on,” she said. “Find better things to spend my money on.”

Related: 9 Examples Why You May Want To Avoid Homeowners Associations Like The Plague

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist