Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in Massachusetts
Roommate posting offensive material on refrigerator
My roommate who is gay (im not) put some magnets that were blatantly sexual in nature (not pornographic, but semi nude, suggestive), and I found them offensive. We all use the refrigerator regularly. We argued about it and I got him to take one of them down. There are still some up there and ideally I would like them all down, but im wondering where my rights lie, legally if necessary. The landlord is impartial so far.
If the case is that I have no legal methods of getting him to stop, would it be within the law to throw them away or hide them?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Roommate posting offensive material on refrigerator
Take the fact that the roomate is gay out of the equation and answer the questions yourself?
No, you have absolutely no legal remedies; just as HE would have no recourse against YOU if you put up a calendar of scantily clad bikini models. If anything, he would have claims against you if you resort to throwing away his personal property without permission.
Moreover, you chose to live with this person, and I assume the housing is privately owned. This is nothing more than an everyday roomate disagreement, not the basis of a civil rights claim. Not even close.
Re: Roommate posting offensive material on refrigerator
I just wanted to offer a second opinion on attorney Tiedemann's response. He is absolutely correct. You dislike his magnets, and he may dislike your music. This is nothing more than a roommate dispute.
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