News- Clucking Chickens in Hollywood Yard Prompt Lawsuit

[dadsdeercamp]

REALLY its 2011 does race matter? I say no!!! this lady needs to move if she dont like you or your chicken and stop acting like the world revolves around her. i hope you win your case. keep up the good fight. GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Two separate issues. First is citation by the city, which the OP appealed and lost, resultng in $250 per day fines. Second is a civil lawsuit by the neighbor.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Agreed. You absolutely need an attorney representing you.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Suggestions:

1) Place block or stone along the fence to prevent your chickens from getting out/under. Chickens will dig out themselves, but cannot dig through rock or concrete. And if she is digging holes on her side of the fence, they will still not be able to get out if there is block or concrete or stone on your side preventing it.

2) Plant a tall screen of fast growing shrubs along the fenceline to prevent them from seeing into your yard. Until the shrubbery gains height and density to block vision, plant fast growing annual vines, and give them trellises that go about 8' tall. Both the vines and eventual shrubbery will block sight and noise, prevent your prevent your birds from getting out of your yard and bird's feathers from getting into her pool. (You would see feathers on the vines and shrubs if they were from your birds.)

3) Rather than purchasing a new coop for the other side of the property, move the one you currently have--no cost unless you have to hire movers.


Comments:

1500' is a REALLY small yard; not a large one. If you's said 15,000' I would agree: that is a large yard.

I honestly think you need to downsize your flock. For one thing, it is much easier to argue that they are pets when there are only a few; for another it is likely to be a step towards compromise that the judge would view favourably, even if the neighbor does not.

If she was friendly at first, I somehow think that it cannot be a racial issue--that would have prevented her from purchasing to begin with. It MAY be a cultural issue dealing with how the way you live your lives impacts the way they live their lives, but that is not really the same as racist.

 

[schellie69]

I am not sure how big `1500' feet is my lot size is 100' by 50' in my back yard I have a flock of 15 chickens a swing set for my grand daughters, a garden (large). a shed for my DH tools. Plus a nice size coop and pen I still have an area for us as a family to sit out side and enjoy a fire or bbq. I do think that if some people have a problem with others because of religious, color of skin or where some one comes from or a whole culture then that is being a racist. I hope that some how you can fix these problems with the fines and the neighbors. I would start looking into a way to move some way;.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

100' x 50' is 5000' (actually sq ft); more than 3 times the stated lot size. 1500 sq ft is 25' x 60' or 15' x 100' or 30' x 50' (for examples). The specific measurements can vary: as one of the factors becomes larger, the other is reduced.

When I say cultural, I am talking behavior, not things such as race or gender or skin colour over which one has no choice (and I will exclude religion, over which one does have a choice).

 

[hossfeathers]

When I say cultural, I am talking behavior, not things such as race or gender or skin colour over which one has no choice (and I will exclude religion, over which one does have a choice).

Getting OT, but if one really thinks that a person has a choice what church they are raised in, they haven't met my mother. *g*​

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

Sonoran Silkies: the lot is bigger, the area in which they have to themselves in that size.
I would move the coop if I could but I tried and I can't get it more than 5 feet. It is a plastic shed modified to be a coop but the area that they have is a 10 ft wide U around the house and I can't get the coop around the corner and if I take it apart I will never be able to get it back together again.
We are getting a lawyer, we did have the money before but now we do.
We would sell the house and move but the city put a lien on it, even though it is homesteaded and we are trying to get it removed.

Two separate issues. First is citation by the city, which the OP appealed and lost, resulting in $250 per day fines. Second is a civil lawsuit by the neighbor.

Not quite, we would have paid the fine and gotten rid of the chickens, but while we were appealing for a year they were piling up the fines, so by the time we lost the appeal it was already at $90,000 and we can't pay it, so we figured we might as well just keep the chickens.

Someone asked if we are Jewish, yes we are, Jews come in all colors and races and the neighbor is Jewish also, but just like Christians some Jews are racist, and some aren't, she is a European Jew and we are Middle eastern and North African Jews.

Woodcutterron:
My sister is a family law Paralegal, my uncle is a tax attorney, and my cousin is a criminal defense attorney, so they have been helping with all of the motions and filing, but yeah an attorney that specializes in this field would be a lot better and would be able to get this over and done with easily, we hired one on Thursday and he said that he has won cases like this and it will be easy! so hopefully it will be over soon!

ETA: Hossfeathers: LOL I know what kind of a mother you're talking about.

 

[Woodcutterron]

Had you filed some sort of Motion for Injunctive Relief from the continued tabulation of the daily fines? You might also be able to get a judgment reducing the fine, but they won't generally just offer it up to ya on their own. I would definitely have your leagal team look into that.

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

Yes we have, but they just keep piling it up, they are not allowed to pile up the fines during an appeal but they did anyway. We lost the appeal because the judge ruled that chickens (legal name is gallus domesticus) are not domestic animals so they cannot be kept as pets in Hollywood, but Parrots, pigeons, and ducks are (that is why we have some ducks now).

The code is also unconstitutional vague (we asked DOJ)

Anyway have a great weekend!