(KRON) — A Livermore couple is facing a civil lawsuit filed by their neighbors who claim that the couple’s holiday light displays cause “severe emotional distress.”
James Hays said he and his wife decorate their house on Camelia Drive every Halloween and Christmas to spread joy for children in their community.
A couple that moved in next-door three years ago filed a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court accusing the Hays’ holiday decorations of creating a public nuisance. The suit is seeking more than $100,000 in monetary damages.
The neighbors took legal action without talking to the Hays. “What shocked us was the neighbors never once came over and said anything to us,” he told KRON4.
James Hays said, despite the pending lawsuit, he will continue to decorate his home for holidays. This Christmas, the Hays’ yard features a gingerbread family inflatable, twinkly lights, and candy canes.
“We’re doing it not just for ourselves, but for our community. Seeing the excitement on kids’ faces … reminded us why we decorate our home. We refuse to let intimidation and hostility take away the happiness that these traditions bring to our community,” James Hays said.
His neighbors claim that they couldn’t sleep last Halloween because the Hays’ lights were shining too brightly through a bedroom window. “The lights, with an output of 50 lumens per light, cast high-intensity flickering effects with various shapes and patterns,” the suit states.
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The neighbors also took issue with the Hays’ wind chimes, claiming they create “loud and disturbing noises which can exceed 70 decibels.”
James Hays explained that his wife, who is Chinese, practices feng shui for good luck and her father helped design the chimes. Their chimes never ring too loud because they are shielded from the wind, he said.
The lawsuit, however, claims that holiday decorations and chimes “constitute a significant interference with Plaintiffs’ comfortable enjoyment of life and property. These items have caused Plaintiffs mental and emotional distress, annoyance and discomfort, and loss of peaceful occupation and enjoyment of their property.”
The Hays’ neighbors are demanding a jury trial and $100,000 to resolve the holiday decoration conflict.
Amy Larson
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