A legal battle has erupted after a Massachusetts couple claimed they were unable to sell their million-dollar home because of the “infinite noise” from a nearby pickleball court.
Judith Comeau, 65, and her husband have been forced to hire lawyers after they were unable to find a buyer for their three-bedroom home, located a two-minute walk from Sagamore Beach in affluent Cape Cod.
The couple originally listed the property for $1.3 million, but then lowered the price to $995,000 and took it off the market altogether after it had been on the market for eight months and attracted “more than 60” potential buyers.
They claim that viewers at home were put off by the constant volleying noise from the four private pickleball courts just over the fence in their backyard. The sport has exploded in popularity in recent years and has garnered a slew of celebrity fans.
“We have a beautiful view of the bay, we have beautiful gardens and we are so close to the beach. Something was wrong,” she said Boston.com.
Judith Ann Roan Comeau (right) and her husband are struggling to sell their three-bedroom Cape Cod-style home, which is just a two-minute walk from Sagamore Beach
The pickleball courts were built about four years ago by the Sagamore Beach Colony Club, which has been in the area for more than 110 years, the Boston Globe.
Comeau claims she has since filed complaints with the club about the noise and has suggested using softer balls or bats to muffle the sound, but so far she has had no success.
Neighbor Kim Hannon, 70, of Boston, who has lived in her in-laws’ home adjacent to the club for nearly 50 years, also told the Globe: “It’s a very loud, loud noise.
‘It does start to bother you eventually. I didn’t think so at first, but it does.’
Comeau believes they were unable to make the sale because of the near-constant volleyball noise from pickleball games on courts just over the fence from their backyard
The pickleball courts were built about four years ago by the Sagamore Beach Colony Club, which has been in the area for more than 110 years
Earlier this month, Comeau complained about the problem via a Facebook support group “that connects families experiencing unintended but significant noise pollution from pickleball courts.”
She wrote: ‘More than 60 people came by [the house] and many come back for a second look. Every time, no matter what time it is, someone is playing PICKLEBALL.
‘Well guess what, the people who want to buy it think they can’t deal with the noise. On 9/1 it will be 4 years since I first complained to the tennis club. Since then many emails and arguments to do something like soft balls and paddles have fallen on deaf ears.
“They keep saying we’ve done everything to make it better, but when we ask what they’ve done, they have no answer. First, a courthouse was sneaked in without any noise restrictions on their part to see what the effect would be on the neighbors. They said they’d only add one, now there’s two.
“They knock on my door asking me to turn the music down (seriously) and saying they’re just trying to have fun. Well, we’re NOT HAVING ANY fun!! Imagine having the right to not care about what your neighbors are going through.”
Pickleball was invented in 1965 as a children’s game in a Washington backyard and has slowly become a favorite sport among celebrities due to its similarity to tennis.
Jonathan Polloni, Comeau’s attorney, also noted, “When this particular noise is so close to residential properties, it’s just not something that can be ameliorated and it’s clearly considered a nuisance noise.”
Polloni also said he is writing a letter to the club asking them to move the pickleball courts elsewhere. If the letter is unsuccessful, he plans to file a lawsuit.
“This is actually a growing problem. With the rise of pickleball, we’ve seen an increase in more complaints,” the attorney told Boston.com.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Polloni and Comeau for comment.
Earlier this month, Comeau took to a Facebook support group “that connects families who are dealing with the unintended but significant noise pollution of pickleball courts” to complain about the problem
John Duggan, the Comeaus’ real estate agent, also noted that in the past eight months, three homes in the area, with asking prices between $900,000 and $1 million, have all sold.
In April, reports emerged that a multimillionaire venture capitalist couple had been evicted from their wealthy neighborhood after waging war with pickleball players.
Karl and Holly Peterson, a billionaire couple who started a petition in August 2023 to close the pickleball courts in their neighborhood, are selling their multimillion-dollar home for a whopping $29 million.
Peterson claimed that the noise pollution from the 24-hour courts was having a negative impact on homeowners and wildlife, and urged city officials to close the courts immediately.
The paddle sport, which can be played by one or more players, has recently gained enormous popularity as more courts are being added all over the world.
Pickleball was invented in Washington in 1965 as a backyard game for children. It has slowly become a favorite sport among celebrities due to its similarity to tennis.