Google Admits Trespassing In Allegheny, Pays Boring Family $1
PITTSBURGH -- Google Inc. has acknowledged that it trespassed when it took a photo of an Allegheny County house for its Street View service, but will pay only $1 in damages to a couple who sued.
U.S. District Magistrate Judge Cathy Bissoon on Thursday signed off on a mutually agreed-upon verdict between the company and Aaron and Christine Boring, of Franklin Park. Both sides will pay their own attorney fees.
"We are pleased that this lawsuit has finally ended with plaintiffs' acknowledgment that they are entitled to only $1," Google said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The Borings' attorney, Gregg Zegarelli, said his clients are satisfied to have made the point that Google trespassed.
"This is one sweet dollar of vindication," the Borings said in a written statement. "Google could have just sent us an apology letter in the very beginning, but chose to try to prove they had a legal right to be on our land. We are glad they finally gave up."
The Borings live on Oakridge Lane, a long driveway labeled "Private Road," and they claimed Google would have had to have taken pictures from there. They said the images could only have been obtained if the driver traveled about 1,000 feet up a private road clearly marked "No Trespassing."
Google said people can have photos removed upon request and argued that the images were no more invasive than those on a county real estate tax website, such as the one in Allegheny County.
The Borings originally sought more than $25,000 in damages, alleging that photos of their home on Google Street View also devalued their property and caused them mental suffering.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Amy Reynolds Hay dismissed the lawsuit last year. An appeals court reinstated the trespassing claim but not the other claims. Hay died before she could hear the case again.
The Pittsburgh Channel
U.S. District Magistrate Judge Cathy Bissoon on Thursday signed off on a mutually agreed-upon verdict between the company and Aaron and Christine Boring, of Franklin Park. Both sides will pay their own attorney fees.
"We are pleased that this lawsuit has finally ended with plaintiffs' acknowledgment that they are entitled to only $1," Google said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The Borings' attorney, Gregg Zegarelli, said his clients are satisfied to have made the point that Google trespassed.
"This is one sweet dollar of vindication," the Borings said in a written statement. "Google could have just sent us an apology letter in the very beginning, but chose to try to prove they had a legal right to be on our land. We are glad they finally gave up."
The Borings live on Oakridge Lane, a long driveway labeled "Private Road," and they claimed Google would have had to have taken pictures from there. They said the images could only have been obtained if the driver traveled about 1,000 feet up a private road clearly marked "No Trespassing."
Google said people can have photos removed upon request and argued that the images were no more invasive than those on a county real estate tax website, such as the one in Allegheny County.
The Borings originally sought more than $25,000 in damages, alleging that photos of their home on Google Street View also devalued their property and caused them mental suffering.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Amy Reynolds Hay dismissed the lawsuit last year. An appeals court reinstated the trespassing claim but not the other claims. Hay died before she could hear the case again.
The Pittsburgh Channel