The Basketball Hoop Battle: 5 Shocking Twists In The Julia And Fred Ramos St. Louis Park Lawsuit
The neighborhood dispute that captivated and polarized the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area is far from over, with new legal filings and public council petitions continuing to emerge as of late 2025. The saga involving St. Louis Park residents Julia and Frederick “Fred” Ramos and their neighbors, Ross and Lilly Moeding, began over a seemingly innocuous object: a driveway basketball hoop. What started as a simple request escalated into a complex, high-stakes legal battle that drew in the City of St. Louis Park, its zoning board, and the local court system, setting a precedent for neighborhood disputes across Minnesota.
This article provides the most current and in-depth look at the controversy, detailing the professional backgrounds of the Ramos couple and the specific, highly technical legal arguments they have deployed in their ongoing efforts to have the basketball hoop removed from the Moedings' property on Huntington Avenue.
The Professional and Personal Profile of Julia and Frederick Ramos
The legal complexity of the St. Louis Park basketball hoop dispute is rooted in the professional backgrounds of the plaintiffs, Julia and Frederick Ramos, both of whom have extensive experience in the legal field. Their residence is located at 3320 Huntington Ave, St Louis Park, MN.
Frederick "Fred" Ramos: A Distinguished Legal Career
- Full Name: Frederick Ramos (often cited as Fred Ramos or Alfredo Ramos in some records).
- Location: St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
- Profession: Practicing Lawyer, specializing in complex litigation and enforcement actions.
- Bar Admission: Admitted to the Minnesota Bar in 1990, and the United States District Court Minnesota in 1992.
- Career Highlights: Served as a staff attorney at Candlin & Wright (Bloomington, Minnesota, 1994-1997), a litigation manager at St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Company (since 1997), and a senior project manager at Kroll Ontrack (Eden Prairie). He has also been associated with the Law Offices of Frederick Ramos and the firm Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP.
- Civic/Academic Roles: He is a member of the board nominated by the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) and has been involved with the University of Minnesota Law School.
Julia Ramos: Former Attorney and Primary Litigant
- Full Name: Julia Ramos.
- Location: St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
- Profession: Former Lawyer (often cited as a former attorney in court documents).
- Role in Dispute: Julia Ramos has been the principal driving force and primary representative for her family in the civil complaint against the Moedings and the City of St. Louis Park.
- Legal Actions: She filed the initial civil complaint, subsequent motions for a temporary injunction, and a separate restraining order against neighbor Ross Moeding, alleging harassment.
The Driveway Saga: A Timeline of Legal Escalation (2024-2025)
The highly publicized dispute began shortly after Julia and Fred Ramos moved into their home next door to Ross and Lilly Moeding. The Moeding family's children had been using the driveway basketball hoop for years, but the Ramoses quickly deemed its placement and the resulting noise and air balls to be a nuisance and a zoning violation. The case is a stark example of how neighborhood disagreements can quickly spiral into costly and protracted legal battles.
The timeline of events highlights the Ramoses' persistent use of legal and municipal channels:
- Initial Complaint: The Ramos family initiated legal motions against Ross and Lilly Moeding sometime in 2024.
- Mediation Failure: The St. Louis Park Community Mediation Services program attempted to help the neighbors reach a peaceful resolution in the summer of 2024, but the efforts were unsuccessful.
- Civil Complaint Filed (Early 2025): Julia Ramos filed a formal civil complaint against the Moedings and the City of St. Louis Park. The lawsuit sought to have the basketball hoop removed altogether.
- Motion for Temporary Injunction: The Ramoses filed a motion asking a judge to temporarily bar the Moeding boys from playing on their own driveway basketball hoop while the lawsuit proceeded.
- Lawsuit Dismissal: A judge ultimately dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the Ramoses could not provide sufficient proof that the basketball hoop's location violated any city ordinance.
- Restraining Order: Julia Ramos filed a restraining order against Ross Moeding, claiming he was sending harassing texts, a claim the Moedings denied.
The Core Legal Strategy: Zoning and the "Sport Court" Definition
Despite the initial lawsuit's dismissal, the Ramos family's legal campaign has continued to evolve, shifting focus from a direct civil complaint to challenging the City of St. Louis Park’s municipal code and zoning ordinances. This strategy demonstrates a deep understanding of municipal law and a commitment to pursuing the issue through administrative and legislative means.
The Zoning Ordinance Challenge
The central legal argument hinges on the city's definition of a "Sport Court." The Ramoses contended that the Moedings' driveway basketball setup should be classified as a sport court, which would subject it to specific zoning requirements regarding setbacks and location on the property.
- The Ramos Argument: Julia Ramos argued that a St. Louis Park employee had made a determination that the hoop was, in fact, located a few feet too close to the property line under the existing ordinance, a claim she cited in her civil complaint.
- The City's Response: City Attorney Jared Shepherd issued a memo arguing that the Ramoses had "no legal basis" for their motion for a temporary injunction and that Julia Ramos had failed to provide any evidence or legal authority to support her claims that the hoop violated any ordinance. The City maintained that the portable basketball hoop was not a permanent "sport court" as defined by the municipal code.
Petitions to the Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) and City Council
Following the court dismissal, Fred and Julia Ramos pivoted their efforts to the City's administrative bodies, seeking to change the very rules they were attempting to enforce. This is the latest and most significant development in the saga, demonstrating the couple's long-term legal intent.
Key Administrative Actions (2024-2025):
- BOZA Application: In December 2024, Fred Ramos submitted an application for an appeal of a zoning determination regarding the property at 3320 Huntington Ave. This appeal sought to have the Board of Zoning Appeals overturn the City's interpretation that the basketball hoop was compliant.
- City Council Petition: As late as September 2025, Fred Ramos sent a letter to the St. Louis Park City Council urging them to formally define the term "sport court" in the zoning ordinance. The goal was to establish a definition that would encompass the Moedings' driveway hoop, thereby requiring its removal or relocation to comply with setback requirements.
This ongoing legal pressure has forced the City of St. Louis Park to expend significant municipal resources defending its existing ordinances and interpretations against the Ramoses' persistent legal filings. The case has become a cautionary tale in Minnesota about the limits of neighborhood complaints and the power of legal expertise in local zoning disputes.
The Impact on St. Louis Park and Future Zoning Law
The "Basketball Hoop Battle" has generated significant public interest and media coverage, turning a private neighborhood disagreement into a municipal issue with potential implications for homeowners across St. Louis Park and other Minnesota suburbs like Edina and Minneapolis. The case raises critical questions about the balance between property rights, neighborhood harmony, and the enforcement—or lack thereof—of municipal zoning codes.
Should the St. Louis Park City Council ultimately decide to revise its zoning ordinance to include a stricter definition of "sport court," it could affect hundreds of homeowners with similar driveway setups. Conversely, the City's continued defense of its current code reinforces the idea that common recreational activities, such as children playing basketball, are not subject to the same strict regulations as permanent structures.
For Julia and Fred Ramos, the battle is a testament to their determination, leveraging their combined decades of legal experience to pursue a hyper-local issue through every available channel—from civil court to the Board of Zoning Appeals and the City Council. As of late 2025, the legal and administrative filings confirm that the final chapter of the St. Louis Park basketball hoop saga has yet to be written.
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