Google Damages Property Values?

A Pittsburgh couple is suing Google for including their house in Google’s Street View service.

According to a lawsuit filed in Allegheny County’s Court of Common Pleas this week, Aaron and Christine Boring accuse Google of “intentional and/or grossly reckless invasion” of their privacy as their street is “clearly marked with a ‘Private Road’ sign.”

According to the docs at The Smoking Gun, the Borings allege that the inclusion of their house in Google Street View caused them “mental suffering” and diminished the value of their home (note they only paid $165,000 for the house, the cost of a car parking space anywhere else). The Borings are seeking in excess of $25,000 in damages and want a court order directing Google to destroy images of their home.

Pics of the Borings house to the right and their house on Google Maps

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Your Name (9:10 AM on Tue Oct 7, 2008)

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