Elderly Woman to Keep Flintstones-Themed House After Settling Years-Long Battle With Town in $125K Lawsuit

July 1, 2021

Florence Fang and her family can now keep their Flintstones-themed house after settling a lawsuit with their town, which claimed the dinosaur sculptures and landscaping changes violated local code.

What happened: The controversy started in 2017 when a code enforcement officer noticed the large metal dinosaurs and other changes in Fang’s property on Berryessa Way in Hillsborough, Calif., which is visible from I-280, according to The Palo Alto Daily Post.

Town officials then raised other issues at the property such as the “Yabba Dabba Doo” sign, “Flintstones” figures, a staircase, a parking strip, a deck, and other objects put in the front and backyard.
The town issued three “stop work” orders to Fang that led to the lawsuit.
In the initial lawsuit in March 2019, the town determined that Fang should have sought approval from the planning department.
Fang’s countersuit attorney, Angela Alioto, pointed out the residents of the town likely did not get permits for their statues or any other renovations on their property. She also claimed she was discriminated against due to her race.

The aftermath: A settlement was reached on April 12, and the San Mateo County Superior Court dismissed the case on April 27.

The agreement said that Fang would receive $125,000 from the town and that the money is “solely to cover expenses incurred by Flintstone related to the lawsuit, and shall not be as a payment related to any claim for discrimination.”
A gag order was then issued, preventing Fang and the town from reaching out to the press. If a member of the press reaches out to either of them, both parties must respond with a canned response as indicated in the lawsuit.

Other details: Fang, 86, bought the nearly 3,000-square-foot property for $2.8 million in 2017, according to Mercury News. The property is now worth more than $3.6 million.

Fang, who moved to the U.S. from Taiwan in the early 1960s, is the former owner of the Independent and Examiner newspaper.

Featured Image via Business Insider

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