COURT ORDERS REDUCTION IN HEIGHT OF TREES AND AWARDS DAMAGES

Sean Bryn obtained a verdict against an adjacent neighbor for refusing to trim a row of tall trees in violation of both LA City and State law.  The Court also found that the neighbor’s dominant purpose of planting the trees in a “hedge-like” manner was to annoy, harass and harm which made the trees a “spite fence” under California Civil Code § 841.4. The Court’s judgment requires the neighbor to reduce the tree height to comply with City law and also awarded $50,000 in monetary damages.