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Plano Mom Sued Over Playhouse, Loud Kids
CBS DFW ^ | 1/15/2016 | J.D. Miles

Posted on 01/15/2016 3:56:21 PM PST by Huntress

PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) – The sound of children playing has become the subject of a lawsuit between two Plano homeowners.

Kelly Counts placed a playhouse outside her backdoor for her four children enjoy.

“One of the big reasons we chose the house was because we would be able to move this playhouse,” says Counts.

But the mother says that laughter coming from her kids in their playhouse has been drowned out by music with raunchy lyrics coming from next door.

“It’s unfathomable to me. I can’t imagine the sound of kids playing at any age or stage of my life and thinking that I needed to sue someone over it,” says Counts.

But Counts is being sued for a playhouse that her neighbors say is upsetting their “tranquil quality of life” and quote “creating noise issues as well as visibility issues for them and their pets,” according to minutes from an HOA meeting.

Those neighbors are Irving and Anita Ward.

Irving Ward declined to comment on his lawsuit or the Counts lawsuit against him over the explicit music they claim is retaliation.

“I have nothing to say. I have to call my attorney,” he told CBS11.

But the Wards argue that because the 10, 7, 4 and 2 year old children are homeschooled, the noise never stops.

“The Wards have never once asked me to tone down the noise of the kids playing,” says Counts.

Kelly Counts says she’s tried to work with her neighbors but they refuse.

Since the City of Plano and her HOA have approved the playhouse, the Counts don’t plan to move it.

But they also don’t want their children to hearing explicit music when they go outside.

“I don’t feel comfortable in my own backyard,” says Counts.

This appears to be headed to court with both sides seeking damages.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: hoa; homeschoolers; homeschooling; texas
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Something about this story stuck me as hinky so I checked court records. As it turns out, there's a key fact omitted from this story. Mrs. Counts sued her neighbors three months BEFORE they sued her. Interesting that she didn't mention that.
1 posted on 01/15/2016 3:56:21 PM PST by Huntress
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To: Huntress

Never buy a house in a HOA neighborhood.


2 posted on 01/15/2016 4:02:52 PM PST by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again,")
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To: Huntress
As it turns out, there's a key fact omitted from this story.

Another missing fact is about the raunchy music...
Might we be talking of the "rap" persuasion...?

3 posted on 01/15/2016 4:02:53 PM PST by publius911 (IMPEACH HIM NOW! evil ignorant stupid or crazy-doesn't matter!)
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To: Huntress

Wow! Cro Magnon PI, nice job. Any idea what the other suit was over?


4 posted on 01/15/2016 4:02:58 PM PST by rey
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To: Huntress

Wow...wasn’t there a day in America when people loved seeing and hearing kids play? Would they rather see / hear thugs? Muslim minuret?


5 posted on 01/15/2016 4:03:57 PM PST by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification)
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To: Huntress

She’s running some sort of day care or home schooling there and rightfully so her neighbor is upset over the noise all day.


6 posted on 01/15/2016 4:06:23 PM PST by SkyDancer ("Nobody Said I Was Perfect But Yet Here I Am")
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To: Huntress

Anita Ward, eh?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8zuqsqdCAQ

Hearing this all day would drive me crazy too.


7 posted on 01/15/2016 4:06:32 PM PST by OrangeHoof (Obama - the AIDS virus for the American body politic.)
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To: Jan_Sobieski

When I was a kid someone called the cops for me practicing the trumpet. I could have been famous, I could have been a contender at the Grammys, but instead I got a very different record.


8 posted on 01/15/2016 4:06:53 PM PST by rey
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To: fella

Beats repeating. Rather live in a cardboard box in an alley than subject myself to COA overloads.


9 posted on 01/15/2016 4:07:49 PM PST by packrat35 (Pelosi is only on loan to the world from Satan. Hopefully he will soon want his baby killer back)
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To: Huntress
De-squiggled version:

PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) - The sound of children playing has become the subject of a lawsuit between two Plano homeowners.

Kelly Counts placed a playhouse outside her backdoor for her four children enjoy.

"One of the big reasons we chose the house was because we would be able to move this playhouse," says Counts.

But the mother says that laughter coming from her kids in their playhouse has been drowned out by music with raunchy lyrics coming from next door.

"It's unfathomable to me. I can't imagine the sound of kids playing at any age or stage of my life and thinking that I needed to sue someone over it," says Counts.

But Counts is being sued for a playhouse that her neighbors say is upsetting their "tranquil quality of life" and quote "creating noise issues as well as visibility issues for them and their pets," according to minutes from an HOA meeting.

Those neighbors are Irving and Anita Ward.

Irving Ward declined to comment on his lawsuit or the Counts lawsuit against him over the explicit music they claim is retaliation.

"I have nothing to say. I have to call my attorney," he told CBS11.

But the Wards argue that because the 10, 7, 4 and 2 year old children are homeschooled, the noise never stops.

"The Wards have never once asked me to tone down the noise of the kids playing," says Counts.

Kelly Counts says she's tried to work with her neighbors but they refuse.

Since the City of Plano and her HOA have approved the playhouse, the Counts don't plan to move it.

But they also don't want their children to hearing explicit music when they go outside.

"I don't feel comfortable in my own backyard," says Counts.

This appears to be headed to court with both sides seeking damages.


10 posted on 01/15/2016 4:07:51 PM PST by Steely Tom (Vote GOP: A Slower Handbasket)
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To: Jan_Sobieski

Personally, I like peace and quiet, though I recognize that some noise from kids, dogs, music, etc. is part of living in a neighborhood. Too much high-pitched little kid screaming and squealing can get really irritating. Parents of small children often don’t recognized that, probably because they’re able to tune it out.


11 posted on 01/15/2016 4:11:35 PM PST by Huntress ("Politicians exploit economic illiteracy." --Walter Williams)
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To: Huntress

That playhouse looks mighty close to the Ward’s house. It is rather large too. Shouldn’t the kids be studying?


12 posted on 01/15/2016 4:14:33 PM PST by HotKat (Politicians are like diapers; they need to be changed often and for the same reason. Mark Twaing)
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To: Huntress

Nazi HOA


13 posted on 01/15/2016 4:23:35 PM PST by gitmo (If your theology doesn't become your biography, what good is it?)
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To: Huntress

So basically they are suing her out of spite.


14 posted on 01/15/2016 4:28:59 PM PST by GeronL (I remember when this was a conservative forum)
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To: Huntress; TheOldLady
visibility issues for them and their pets

My pet goldfish complains all the time saying he feels "all boxed in".

15 posted on 01/15/2016 4:28:59 PM PST by disndat (yousit ore loosit)
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To: All


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16 posted on 01/15/2016 4:34:39 PM PST by musicman (Until I see the REAL Long Form Vault BC, he's just "PRES__ENT" Obama = Without "ID")
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To: gitmo
re. Nazi HOA

Where did you get that? The HOA said the playhouse is fine. The neighbor is suing her, not the HOA.

17 posted on 01/15/2016 4:35:46 PM PST by ken in texas
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To: Huntress
The noise is much better if you look at the alternative of having a dead child like I do. The noise never, ever bothered me because I loved having active kids around. Today is the anniversary of her death and we miss her so very much. When she and her older sister were small, we had many kids their age around. Just wait until they are grown up and the silence will be worse. After her daddy died 2 years later, I use to leave 3 tvs on because the house would be so deathly quiet when I got home.
18 posted on 01/15/2016 4:37:59 PM PST by MamaB (Heb. 13:2)
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To: ken in texas; gitmo

Ken, don’t let facts get in the way of an agenda.


19 posted on 01/15/2016 4:41:34 PM PST by PAR35
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To: Huntress

Personally I used to work a job requiring me to sleep during the day. I wore earplugs because of the traffic noise.


20 posted on 01/15/2016 4:42:09 PM PST by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.)
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