Donations are trickling in once again for a gay couple struggling to maintain their home in New Garden, Chester County, despite alleged harassment from some neighbors.
Keith Davis, David Ruth and their two children live in the Bucktoe Manor subdivision of New Garden, consisting of 26 homes.
In March 2015, several neighbors filed suit against the couple, claiming their 6-foot security fence is an eyesore and violates a covenant in the subdivision.
For the past 16 months, the couple has been embroiled in expensive litigation. The fence itself cost $20,000 to erect, and their legal fees to retain the fence total about $80,000.
On May 28, they launched a GoFundMe campaign to help defray their legal expenses. In two weeks, they raised about $6,000.
But the couple took down the page on June 12 after an attorney for the plaintiffs claimed the page had false statements that endangered his clients.
Davis and Ruth deny posting any false statements on the page. But they agreed to take it down until a judge could rule on the merits of the plaintiffs’ lawsuit.
On June 20, Chester County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey R. Sommer ruled that the plaintiffs’ lawsuit was meritless.
On July 5, buoyed by the favorable ruling, the couple restored the page. Donations have resumed, but at a much slower pace, the couple said.
They’ve raised an additional $600 since the page was restored, but their fundraising goal is $80,000.
“The momentum of the page suffered when we had to take it down for almost a month,” Davis told PGN. “We’re hoping to regain activity on the page.”
He said about 140 people have contributed to the GoFundMe campaign, but most did so before the page was taken down.
“We’re grateful for the outpouring of affection and support that we’ve gotten,” he said. “Most of the donors are strangers. Every donor has been thanked with a personalized message.”
But even with the generous donations, the couple may still have to relocate, Davis said.
“We love our house and would prefer staying here, but that may not be possible financially,” he said.
Davis said he’s working two jobs to make ends meet, while Ruth maintains the household as a stay-at-home dad.
They view the neighbors’ objections to the GoFundMe page as additional harassment.
“I’m concerned that some of our neighbors simply don’t want us in the neighborhood due to homophobia,” Davis said.
In the past, the Ruth-Davis property was vandalized, and “Get Out Fags” was painted on the couple’s garage doors.
But the couple never accused plaintiffs of committing the vandalism, Davis said. “We’re not in any way implying that plaintiffs committed the vandalism and hate crime,” he emphasized.
Davis reiterated his hope that plaintiffs won’t appeal Sommer’s ruling in state Superior Court. “We’ve won the battle, but we haven’t won the war yet.”
L. Theodore Hoppe Jr., an attorney for the plaintiffs, couldn’t be reached for comment.
r additional information, click onto www.gofundme.com/morethanafence.