Judge tosses another horn-honking suit from Hubbard couple
HUBBARD, Ohio - A Hubbard couple has lost another lawsuit claiming they have been the victims of a nearly 14 year-long “campaign of tyranny against them and invasion of their rights, designed to harass, intimidate, terrorize, and retaliate against them.
A federal judge last week dismissed the suit filed last spring by Rick and Lucinda Krlich.
The civil suit, filed against the City of Hubbard, Law Director Mark Villano, and Hubbard Police Sgt. William Fisher, claimed that people have been driving by their home on East Liberty Street revving their car’s engines, screeching tires, and honking their horns, sometimes for as long as five to ten minutes. The lawsuit states there have been “thousands” of such events.
The suit claimed that the law director and Sgt. Fisher not only did nothing to stop the alleged harassment but that Fisher encouraged or even participated.
The Krliches claim the alleged harassment has been going on since a feud with a former fire chief over a land purchase dispute in 2007.
In his ruling, U.S. District Court Judge J. Philip Calabrese denied a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, finding that the couple failed to demonstrate a likelihood that that would prevail in the case or that they suffered irreparable harm.
The judge found the Krliches faced hurdles when it comes to evidence in the case, citing a police report submitted by the couple to complain about tire marks in their yard.
“Not only did the officer respond to the call and report the incident, but the written report notes Mr. Krlich only ‘“wanted the incident documented for a matter of record.”’ Such a police response makes it unlikely Plaintiffs can meet the high standard for a class-of-one equal protection claim,” wrote Judge Calabrese in his opinion.
The judge also found no evidence of the couple’s claim that they are subjected to a written policy encouraging or permitting the harassment against them.
This was not the first time the Krlich’s have sued over harassment allegations.
In 2019, U.S. District judge Benita Pearson ruled against the couple who had sued Hubbard’s fire department. The judge earlier removed the city, its police chief, and Trumbull County as defendants in the case.
The couple has also in the past sued neighbors in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court over “emotional distress”.
The couple’s allegations titled “Small Town Terrorism” continue to be displayed on the website http://krlich.com.
The website, created in 2012, is privately owned according to whois.com, a site used to find out who responsible for a domain name or an IP address.
