Help: Neighbor Harrassment
Q: A friend of mine is being harrassed on a regular basis by his upstairs
neighbors. They are members of a religious cult and perform bizarre
and extremely noisy rituals late in the evening. It is usually a
group of 10 to 15 people meeting in a single bedroom condo above my
friends unit. He has complained to his association and called the
police many times but they cease activities whenever some official is
called in. He's thinking of video taping them throuh their window
to document this. Will that help? If not, what should he do? What
will work legally?
A: You don't indicate what state you're in. Laws will differ. Here are some general thoughts. I do not recommend taping them through their window. The risk is that he gets accused of invading their privacy. Chances are the videotape will not persuade the police or the homeowners association to do anything. In some (maybe all) states taping without permission is a criminal offense. Are there other neighbors who are witnesses to the activities and would they be willing to support him in stopping the activities? He could bring a suit claiming nuisance and asking that the nuisance be abated. If they are harassing him directing, he could seek a restraining order.