Kentucky drone-slayer lawsuit: revives conflict between private property and government airspace sovereignty

Drone owner, John David Boggs, has taken his case to the federal courts when the legal circuit dismissed his earlier complaint against fellow Kentuckian, William Merideth, who had shot his machine which was hovering in airspace over his house. Merideth alleged he shot the drone because he was protecting his privacy and the safety of his two daughters. Boggs has challenged that the drone was nowhere near Merideth's home; he also claimed that Merideth had no right to shoot because all airspace, even over U.S soil, is owned by the U.S. government.

The Republic's report gives the context of the case which could have wide-reaching repercussions over the relationship between property rights and government airspace. National airspace is legally owned and governed by the Federation Aviation Administration. However, Kentucky laws do allow residents and citizens to defend themselves during incidents involving tresspassing.

Boggs denies that the tresspssing accusations, showing as proof the photos his drone have taken when it was shot down 200 feet over the ground. The images were a collection of hills, forests, and trees, without one photograph of the Merideth house or any of its property signs. The loss of his drone cost Boggs $1,800.

Merideth, who has adopted the name 'Drone-slayer,' remains unapologetic over his action. 13MWaz gives his side of the story: Merideth claims that he had first seen the drone flying 10 feet over his neighbor's home, before moving in above his the next days. Neither was it the first time the drone had done so. During the first two times, Merideth said he called the police to intervene, only to be told that it was out of their hands. The only recourse, he said, was to take action himself.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette said that the Boggs lawsuit will soon bring to the forefront the growing still unresolved dispute between property rights and government sovereignty. About 700,000 drone had been bought by private citizens who would use them in America as a hobby, as opposed to a military campaign in another country.

Jeramie Scott, national security counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said that this "gray area" surrounding the extension of property rights should be solved "sooner than later," as private drones are being "integrated into the national airspace."

Tags

William Merideth, John Boggs, drones, drone-slayer, private property, government airspace sovereignty

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