Klaas and Dorothy Tadema are an elderly couple from Texas who were recently shocked to learn that they were being sued for $100,000 for a reason that they never expected.

Klass and Dorothy moved to Lago Mar after their home in Dickinson flooded due to Hurricane Harvey. They enjoyed their new home, and they soon decided to install flowerbeds on their property, as they believe a house is not really a home without flowers.

They had no idea at the time that in planting the flowers, they were violating the neighborhood rules. The couple were understandably upset when they learned that they were going to be sued for breaking the rules with their flowers.

“I like pretty flowers. I like my yard pretty,” Dorothy lamented. “It’s a shame that you have to remove something that I would think would enhance the neighborhood.”

The HOA’s lawsuit against the Tademas was for up to $100,000 because it claimed to have tried to communicate with the couple about the violations multiple times, only for them to refuse to fix the issue and remove the flowerbeds. The HOA wants a minimum of $3,000 in damages, which KHOU reported “represents damages for only fifteen days, despite the fact the Defendants’ violations have been or were ongoing for a period of more than fifteen days.”

The $100,000 the HOA is seeking does not even include the attorneys fees. This entire experience has understandably left Klaas and Dorothy feeling distraught.

“I feel like we have no freedom here,” she said. “We have to do what they want, or else.”

When contacted by reporters for comment, Mariah Boatner, a representative of Principle Management Group, which manages the HOA, said that “the company does not comment on pending litigation.” Many social media users have sided with the Tademas and blasted the HOA for what it is doing.

“Just let the seniors plant pretty flowers. Good god,” one person commented, with another adding that the HOA should be banned in all fifty states or “eliminated by law.”

We can only hope that the situation is resolved soon, and the Tademas don’t need to pay six figures simply for planting flowers. Find out more about this in the video below.