It’s expensive enough to live in California as is, but one HOA just wanted to make a homeowner’s life even worse by suing him for almost $50K over “plants that literally nobody could see.” Reddit user Eric_Strawmann posted his predicament to Reddit, explaining how he and his family have been at odds with their HOA since they moved in back in 2022. Now, things have come to a head, with a lawsuit seeking $48,750 in fines.
The HOA is demanding “$250 per day for 195 days, for ‘failure to remove prohibited public-view vegetation,’” wrote Eric_Strawmann. “The craziest part is that they attached copies of several warning letters they claim I ignored.” What’s so wild about this is that they sent all of these to the wrong address of a vacant home. Now, they’re using these letters as evidence of non-compliance.
The reason these plants Eric_Strawmann grows are such a big deal is that they’re cannabis, which he’s allowed to grow under California law. That said, the plants are in his backyard, hidden from the view of anyone in front of his house. As to why the board believes these plants are suddenly “visible,” their excuse was allegedly that people can still see the cannabis plants from Google Earth.
It goes without saying that the HOA board’s arguments, along with the exorbitant fine, are all objectively unreasonable. Reddit is on Eric_Strawmann’s side as well, with users claiming this lawsuit could be a ploy just to have the family move out. “They are trying to get rid of you. Is your skin darker than theirs?” asked a commenter.
OP clarified that his household is mixed Peruvian-Turkish; another Peruvian family in the neighborhood has also been dealing with irrational demands from the HOA. That being said, although there’s no proof, he strongly believes HOA’s actions against him are fueled by racial discrimination.
Fortunately, Redditors assure that if this all does lead to court, the board’s allegedly intentional mistakes in mailing the warnings could be his saving grace. “The fact that the address was wrong and that they had your email address alone is enough to get this dismissed on the merits. That they changed their mind because “Google Earth” is just the icing on the cake,” wrote a commenter.
Others chimed in, suggesting the California homeowner countersue the HOA since the board knew they were mailing to the wrong address this whole time. Eric_Strawmann added that even the screenshots of his plants from Google Earth were barely identifiable as cannabis. If anything, this HOA seemingly has made it more evident that it’s really out to get this homeowner and his family.
