‘Flintstone House’ lawsuit settled dinosaur statues can keep

Following a prolonged court fight, the Northern California proprietor of the “Flintstone House” has quietly settled her lawsuit versus the city of Hillsborough.

Florence Fang, the home’s owner, will get $125,000 from the town to protect legal expenditures from her lawsuit, in accordance to the settlement agreement. Fang ought to also utilize for setting up permits for the exterior of her household, which will be accepted by the city when submitted, according to city information.

The suit was settled in April, but the data was not produced mainly because of a gag get.

“The get-togethers have attained an amicable resolution of the case to the gratification of all the parties, this sort of that the enhancements manufactured to the Flintstone House will be permitted to remain,” the settlement states, according to the Palo Alto Daily Put up.

Fang’s lawsuit commenced in March 2019, immediately after the town of Hillsborough deemed the home’s garden decorations as a “highly obvious eyesore” following complaints from neighbors and people. Town officials alleged that the caveman-themed menagerie of 15-foot dinosaur statues and cartoon sculptures violated creating codes and had been designed without the need of right permits.

Fang, previous publisher of the San Francisco Examiner, was despatched various notices. Just after she unsuccessful to comply with stop-do the job orders, as well as an get to eliminate the selection of metallic dinosaurs and animals from her yard, the city took her to courtroom in San Mateo County.

The town’s lawsuit requested the choose to deem the property a public nuisance and purchase the statues to be taken down.

Fang fought back with her own suit instead, alleging that she attempted to cooperate with city officials but that since of her race, they actively denied her correct to build on her residence and enforced developing codes that did not use to her dwelling. Fang is Chinese American.

Hillsborough Assistant Metropolis Atty. Mark Hudan, who at first represented the town in the lawsuit right before getting replaced by attorney Scott Ditgurth, earlier told The Occasions that Fang’s claims were “completely baseless.”

“This cross criticism is meant to divert focus from the core fact that Mrs. Fang mounted a pretty substantial task without having permits, and blaming our enforcement staff members isn’t going to change what she did,” Hudan claimed.

Nestled in an upmarket neighborhood south of San Francisco, the orange and purple, boulder-like abode visible from Interstate 280 has develop into a magnet for travelers and travelers, who generally halt to just take pics.

The house, built in 1976 by Bay Location architect William Nicholson, sat vacant for over a 12 months right before Fang bought it for $2.8 million in 2017.