Legal Question in Civil Litigation in California
Harrassment from neighbor
We have a neighbor who does not work and has nothing better to do than cause trouble in our neighborhood. She has called several "authorities" of at least 3 neighbors. She has called the "noise" people (County Planner) about our barking dogs and now is claiming our dog attacked her dog. Which is a lie. She has also called on our neighbors about letting there wash water run off into the bushes (resulting in a $70 fine for them). She kidnaps our neighbors dog if he gets loose and keeps the dog locked up until the neighbor comes over against his wishes. He has told her not to do this. But she continues to do it.
In the mean-time we have spent $400 putting up electric fences around our acre of land, moved our dog kennel to the other side of our property (because she said they barked when they saw her). Bought dog collars (barking and electric fence)for our dogs yet she STILL is allowing her dog and her tennants dog to run LOOSE! We have called the animal control people about this and she STILL does it. Can we sue her for harrassment? How come she is still harrassing us when she has done NOTHING to COMPLY and we have done alot?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Harrassment from neighbor
I am unfamiliar with the mediation services
for neighborhood disputes in Santa Monica, but here
in the San Diego area there is a neighborhood
mediation clinic run by the University of San Diego
law school, open to assist people in discussing and
resolving problems of this type without litigation
and the associated expense, and with the goal of
reaching mutual accommodation instead of winners
and losers. One of the law schools in your area
may offer such a mediation clinic.
Otherwise, the legal system is very inefficient in
resolving disputes that do not involve a lot of money.
If you can't get a clinic to assist in setting up
a mediation, you may need to obtain counsel to
file an action for an injunction against the nuisance
of your neighbor for letting the dogs run loose -
which is undoubtedly unlawful given the leash laws
in nearly every locality. However, I recommend that
you look into local mediation clinics first.
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