A temporary order by a Superior Court judge is keeping a man from smoking inside his home in the District of Columbia - even though it 's completely legal . WJLA-TV reports that Edwin Gray 's next door neighbors in northeast Washington have filed a civil suit claiming they 're being harmed by smoke that sneaks into their home through a hole in the basement . The family moved into the home next to Gray last year and have one child , and another on the way . No smoking zone : Edwin Gray has been ordered not to smoke inside his home , which his family has owned for the past 50 years . Complaints : The temporary injunction was ordered by a Superior Court judge after one of Gray 's neighbors in northeast Washington , DC filed a lawsuit saying smoke was leaking into their home . A judge issued a temporary injunction last week saying neither Gray nor any family or guests may smoke in the home the family has owned for 50 years . The family has vowed to fight the order . In court filings and a statement , the neighbors say they tried to work with Gray and his sister Mozella Johnson , but that the mediation attempts failed and they decided to file the suit . 'You want me to stop what I 've been doing in my house , all my life , ' Gray remarked . In addition to seeking an injunction on smoking at the house , the neighbors are also asking for $ 500,000 in damages . The lawsuit does set a precedent for other complaints in the DC area . A columnist for the Washington Post said the Gray lawsuit could lead to hundreds of others , from neighbors hoping to control the activities of other residents . 'We were floored , ' Gray 's sister , Johnson , said . 'If this judge has done this , who will be next ? What other neighbor will be next ? '
A Superior Court judge has temporarily ordered Edwin Gray and the rest of his family to stop smoking inside their Washington , DC home . The order was issued after a court hearing on Wednesday in which Judge Robert E. Morin said that he had been "overwhelmed" by the number of people who complained about the smell from Gray's cigarette smoke.