Georgia Man Wins Right to Keep Flying American Flag at Home
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A Georgia man has won the right to fly the American flag outside his home after getting sued for failing to remove the 16-foot flagpole from his front lawn, MyFoxAtlanta.com reported.
Ron Tripodo of Canton, Ga., was embroiled in a costly legal dispute with the Bridgemill Homeowners Association over the flagpole, displayed prominently in his front yard for over a year.
"I got a letter saying, 'Take your flag down. You can put it in your backyard' and I just refused to do it," Tripodo, a former Army Reservist, told the TV station.
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The homeowners association, which claimed the flagpole was an "obstruction," reportedly sued Tripodo for $25 each day the flag flew in his front yard -- a charge that totaled $32,000.
A Cherokee County judge, however, dismissed the lawsuit this week, freeing Tripodo from having to pay any fines.
"I wish I didn't have to go through all this aggravation, but I was going to defend this flag all the way," Tripodo said.
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Tripodo said he believed the 2006 Freedom to Display the American Flag Act superseded any subdivision rules that prohibited the flagpole.