Saint Louis Park, Minnesota In a unique court case in St. Louis Park, a homeowner is suing her neighbors and the city over the location of their in-ground basketball hoop.
The lawsuit was filed after the St. Louis Park Planning and Zoning division and the City Council informed the family with the basketball hoop that they could keep it where it is.
However, the next-door neighbors continue to pursue legal action.
The basketball hoopÂ
After school, the Moeding boys relax by shooting hoops.
“It was a combined birthday present for them,” explained their mother, Lilly Moeding. “They love basketball, and we strongly encourage them to get outside and away from the screen. And basketball is one of the few activities where they will actually agree to leave the screen and go play.”
Lilly and her husband Ross Moeding have been stressed for months since their new neighbors, Julia and Fred Ramos, pointed out that the in-ground pole was slightly too close to the property line.
After working closely with the city, the Moedings installed a new pole just feet away, which was approved by the zoning division and city council.
But it wasn’t good enough. The Ramoses filed an appeal with the city and presented their case in several meetings.
“Balls are flying directly at me,” Julia Ramos told the St. Louis Park City Council in November. “My kitchen window is right there, I have to watch the,m I don’t want to have to watch them.”
During the zoning dispute, Julia Ramos sought a restraining order against Ross Moeding. In it, she claimed Ross was harassing her via text and making her feel unsafe in her home because he was “trespassing” on her property to retrieve basketballs.
“He is repeatedly entering my property without permission, which is particularly frightening and causes me to fear for my safety,” wrote Ramos’s wife, Julia.
“My husband has done nothing to deserve a restraining order,” Lilly told me. “I was genuinely worried that our neighbors were going to lie and get my husband thrown in jail.”
Following testimony, the judge flatly rejected all of Julia’s allegations.
Referee Holly Knight stated in her written order that “there have been no acts of harassment,” and that “at most, there is a squabble over a zoning issue.”
Referee Knight observed that the video clips provided by Julia Ramos did not show what she claimed, and that Julia was filming the Moeding children.
“The video shows the children playing basketball in the middle of the day; they are not being excessively noisy and no basketballs go near Petitioner or her husband,” according to referee Knight.
Recent court filingsÂ
However, Referee Knight’s dismissal of the restraining order did not bring an end to the court filings.
Julia Ramos, who used to be a lawyer, sued the Moedings and St. Louis Park over the basketball hoop. In her most recent legal argument, she claims the hoop should be considered a “sport court” under city code. Ramos claims that the ground beneath and behind the hoop should be considered a “playing surface” as part of the “sport court” and thus remains too close to their property.
In the most recent legal action, filed last week, Ramos requested a temporary injunction ordering the boys not to use the basketball hoop for four months because she is starting a construction project at her home.
In that filing, Ramos claims that the “sport court” is located in “dangerous proximity” to his property line.
“What makes this an urgent situation is that [Julia Ramos] is having an addition built on the upper floor of her home facing the [Moedings]. Construction permits have just been approved, and work will begin shortly and last at least four months,” according to Ramos’ motion, which also states that construction materials will be stored on her driveway where workers will be active. “Consequently, the area of [Julia Ramos’] property that the [Moedings] use for their basketball activity will be even more dangerous for anyone running through or balls being thrown.”
‘This is not OK’
The Moedings claim they do not use Ramos’ property for their “basketball activity.”
“This woman is suing us over a basketball hoop, so part of me thought we should just take it down. Should we just take them to another park? Lilly Moeding said. “I also believe that you do the right thing, while they do not do the right thing to us. “This is not okay.”
When KARE 11 News reached out to the Ramoses, they declined to comment.
The Moeding family has set up a Gofundme page to help with legal fees.