Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in New York

neighbor's harrassment

I have a question regarding what my legal rights/avenues are in regards to neighbor's harrassment. We have been in a dispute with a neighbor which sparked from me calling the Town which we live in on his ''junk'' in his backyard. The Town showed him the letter and the pictures I sent and since then it has been one thing after another. He puts up graffiti signs which slander (the Sheriff says nothing can be done - even though I know and they know the signs were intended for me) He has also been targeting my 15 year old son with rude comments, following him to his bus stop, and basically trying to get him in trouble with the law. To deter some of his antics, we recently put up a privacy fence between the two yards on the advice of the Town. This has caused obviously more problems, as he drives by the house and stops at our driveway and just sits there. Today he stood in the middle of the road with his ''buff'' look, blocking my husband from going any further in the road on his way to work. Because he has not done anything harmful (yet), what can I do to stop this? I can't get an order of protection until he does something to hurt someone. What more can I do? He isn't even willing to sit down to mediation.


Asked on 8/13/01, 1:35 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Amy L. Finch, 845-362-0387 Amy L. Finch, Attorney and Counselor at Law

Re: neighbor's harrassment

I believe the police just don't want to get involved. It sounds to me like what your neighbor is doing could be some form of harrassment, especially if he is blocking you from getting off of your property. You should consult with the local DA.

You could also sue your neighbor for slander. This is not a police matter, it would be handled in civil court. Slander is hard to prove, but maybe just suing him would take care of some of the problem.

I think your best bet is to consult an attorney and start a suit against your neighbor.

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Answered on 8/14/01, 8:23 am


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