Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Sued for alleged drone damage, privacy defense?

I am being sued for over $10,000 in small claims court in Los Angeles County by a contractor who claims I damaged his drone with a BB gun ( he says rifle but it wasn't). The drone, worth approximately $500, was allegedly downed while he was filming telephone poles over my backyard without my consent. He texted a photo of an authorization letter, but it doesn't explicitly name him or his company. He also claims additional lost wages, though as a contractor, he gets paid once the job is finished. Additionally, I saw a comment he made on LinkedIn admitting that he should have notified us but did not. Part of his claim includes $1,000 for therapy due to anxiety, but I also have anxiety concerns over drones being flown low over my backyard, invading my privacy. There were no witnesses to the incident, and he demanded payment via text, threatening legal action, though no detectives contacted me. Do I have a strong defense based on these circumstances? Also, if i told judge im willing to pay for drone damage and nothing else, 1. would that be acceptable to the judge and 2. would that admit fault that could be used against me criminally?

I admit i should not have shot it but to be fair, it was flying low in our backyard and they did not notify us at all about it so i strongly dislike drones flying in my backyard while my young daughter is playing outside. I think that is a huge privacy violation and i have every right to defend my privacy and my daughters by shooting a drone that is about 20-30 feet off the ground and circling me in my own backyard safe space. I would be fine paying the damages but to try and get an additional 9k+ out of me for lost wages and therapy is ridiculous, i almost want to sue him back for privacy violations but i don't know if i would win.


Asked on 3/04/25, 3:46 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Terry A. Nelson Nelson & Lawless

Whether the drone flyer was authorized or not, whether you were notified or not, you 'might' have had a legal argument about his violation of what you want to claim as your backyard 'safe space' and privacy, but you probably had no legal 'right' to shoot it down, damaging his property. Do you think you would have had a right to shoot it down if you knew it was your neighbor's kids flying it? And, you have now admitted publicly here on this post that you did, and that you knew you shouldn't have.  

Yes, you might be best off admitting fault in court to shooting it down, and accepting that you should only be responsible for actual legitimate damages proven, but certainly not 'emotional damages', which neither party in this situation would be entitled to in Small Claims court.

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Answered on 3/05/25, 12:43 pm


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