David and Arna Orlando love their home in Manlius, New York—but what they don’t love is their homeowners’ association. The couple is now locked in a legal battle with the Kimry Moor Homeowners Association, which has taken the unusual step of suing them for parking a pickup truck in their own driveway.
Yes, you read that correctly. The Orlandos are being sued because their black Ford F-150 is apparently too commercial to be seen by the neighbors.
According to the HOA, the truck doesn’t meet their definition of a “private, passenger-type, pleasure automobile.” That classification is important, because Kimry Moor prohibits anything else from being parked in the driveways of its 84-home development. And in case you were wondering, no, the Orlandos technically don’t own their driveway—Kimry Moor does. All driveways and common areas fall under HOA control, and the association’s rules are unusually strict when it comes to curbside aesthetics.
But David Orlando says this is all nonsense. He insists his truck isn’t a commercial vehicle and says it’s registered for personal use, just like any other car.
“I don’t even have a commercial license,” he told local media.
Despite that, the HOA is pressing forward with its lawsuit, claiming the truck isn’t a passenger vehicle under their guidelines and therefore violates community standards. Orlando has continued to park his pickup in the driveway as usual, and says he’s baffled by the targeting—especially since he’s seen other residents with work vans, SUVs, and similar trucks doing the same thing without issue.
The Orlandos’ attorney, Tom Cerio, believes the HOA has gone too far.
“This is a silly rule,” Cerio said. “It’s fair to say the association is definitely overreaching. And they are enforcing this rule for a personal-use vehicle, not a commercial vehicle.”
The HOA’s attorney, Paul Curtin, disagrees. He says the Ford F-150 is not a passenger vehicle “by definition” and therefore doesn’t meet the criteria for driveway parking. According to the HOA’s covenants, residents must park any vehicle deemed “commercial” out of sight—preferably inside a garage—regardless of how it’s registered or used.
The fight has now made its way to the Onondaga County Supreme Court, where the Orlandos are pushing back. They’ve filed their own lawsuit against Kimry Moor, claiming the HOA has “impeded and interfered with the Orlandos’ quiet use and enjoyment of their property.” They’re asking for damages and want the HOA to pay for their legal fees, too.
This isn’t the first eyebrow-raising rule Kimry Moor has enforced. The HOA prohibits boats, trailers, outdoor noise that’s deemed “unusual,” and any kind of temporary structure like a tent or a shed. Critics argue that these rules amount to micromanagement and strip homeowners of their basic property rights, all in the name of neighborhood conformity.
For the Orlandos, it’s become a matter of principle. They say they’re not just standing up for themselves, but for other residents who might be similarly targeted. If a personal-use pickup truck parked neatly in a driveway is grounds for a lawsuit, they argue, what’s next?
At the heart of the issue is a larger debate over how much power HOAs should have. For now, David and Arna Orlando are hoping the court sides with common sense—and their black Ford F-150.