Harassment & Libel
New Member
- Jurisdiction
- Florida
I don't know how much to divulge here. I have been harassed by a neighbor (who is not the homeowner) since February 26, 2017. There were incidents before that date, but that's the day she turned on me. Until that time, the only problems I noticed were her habit of spray painting various objects in her front yard, which caused paint fumes to accumulate in mine, and her habit of spraying Roundup on the chainlink fence separating the properties. We often talked across the fence and had, to my knowledge, a cordial relationship, except for the spray paint and chemicals. I should add here that the spray painting included an entire automobile.
That day was also the day my husband entered the hospital. I had told her the day before that he would be hospitalized. We were just finishing up a repair on our water line that required rerouting the pipe around a tree. My plumber showed up to fill the trench. I should mention here that he runs the field operations for a local water service and has a company truck with all the appropriate tools. She accused him of stealing her garden rake (which is preposterous). I told her at the time that she was mistaken, but from that point forward, she played the victim. My husband spent the next 2 weeks in the hospital and 2 more weeks in a rehab facility. I didn't have time nor energy to deal with her. While he was hospitalized my plumber returned to replace the tub surround and install new hardware. He told her he didn't (and wouldn't) steal her rake. At some point I received a package for her son in error, and when I tried to get her attention, she ran in the house and sent her son to take it from me. He asked me then to overlook her actions because "she had a hard childhood". A few days after my husband came home from the hospital, I told her to stop the spray painting, to which she replied that she could do anything she wanted and there was no ordinance against it. In May, she called city code enforcement and reported me for high weeds (12") and cans that were not bagged for recycling, claiming they were causing a rodent problem for her. That situation was resolved (I picked up and bagged the cans and had the yard cleared). This is the same area where I had the plumbing issues and where the power company installed a new auxiliary pole. I hadn't cut the grass/weeds because it had rained almost every single day. In fact, if she had problems, she should have addressed them to her landlord. On September 6, she sent me a certified letter regarding the trees that border our houses, and which her landlord had always trimmed in the past. I'm not really sure whose property the trees are on, but again, it's her landlord's responsibility. There had already been words over this when I told her to stop spraying weed killer on the fence, which came through onto my property.
At some point prior to that letter, she had consulted an attorney who also lives on my block and who owns 5 of 11 houses. He is someone I've known since 1991 and avoided for years because of his behavior. My husband and I both worked on the properties when he was renovating them with the help of an architect, who was also a neighbor at that time. When the work was completed, he ran his partner out of town through a combination of physical intimidation and legal harassment. I was painting his (the attorney's) bedroom at the time. I charged him $125, but he only paid me $75. There are other incidents over time that led me to avoid any contact with him, until he decided to represent (?) my harassing neighbor. He has now libeled me. On October 16, he sent me a letter in which he plainly libeled me...calling me a thief, instructing his tenants to call the police if I trespassed, copying not only his tenants but also "other interested parties" and including the desk sergeant at the police department. I have obtained the form from the Florida Bar to file a complaint against him. Meanwhile, my husband had 2 more surgeries, the last on October 30, from which he's still recovering. I am at the point of suing both my neighbor and the attorney for defamation and/or harassment. Please advise me and thanks!.
That day was also the day my husband entered the hospital. I had told her the day before that he would be hospitalized. We were just finishing up a repair on our water line that required rerouting the pipe around a tree. My plumber showed up to fill the trench. I should mention here that he runs the field operations for a local water service and has a company truck with all the appropriate tools. She accused him of stealing her garden rake (which is preposterous). I told her at the time that she was mistaken, but from that point forward, she played the victim. My husband spent the next 2 weeks in the hospital and 2 more weeks in a rehab facility. I didn't have time nor energy to deal with her. While he was hospitalized my plumber returned to replace the tub surround and install new hardware. He told her he didn't (and wouldn't) steal her rake. At some point I received a package for her son in error, and when I tried to get her attention, she ran in the house and sent her son to take it from me. He asked me then to overlook her actions because "she had a hard childhood". A few days after my husband came home from the hospital, I told her to stop the spray painting, to which she replied that she could do anything she wanted and there was no ordinance against it. In May, she called city code enforcement and reported me for high weeds (12") and cans that were not bagged for recycling, claiming they were causing a rodent problem for her. That situation was resolved (I picked up and bagged the cans and had the yard cleared). This is the same area where I had the plumbing issues and where the power company installed a new auxiliary pole. I hadn't cut the grass/weeds because it had rained almost every single day. In fact, if she had problems, she should have addressed them to her landlord. On September 6, she sent me a certified letter regarding the trees that border our houses, and which her landlord had always trimmed in the past. I'm not really sure whose property the trees are on, but again, it's her landlord's responsibility. There had already been words over this when I told her to stop spraying weed killer on the fence, which came through onto my property.
At some point prior to that letter, she had consulted an attorney who also lives on my block and who owns 5 of 11 houses. He is someone I've known since 1991 and avoided for years because of his behavior. My husband and I both worked on the properties when he was renovating them with the help of an architect, who was also a neighbor at that time. When the work was completed, he ran his partner out of town through a combination of physical intimidation and legal harassment. I was painting his (the attorney's) bedroom at the time. I charged him $125, but he only paid me $75. There are other incidents over time that led me to avoid any contact with him, until he decided to represent (?) my harassing neighbor. He has now libeled me. On October 16, he sent me a letter in which he plainly libeled me...calling me a thief, instructing his tenants to call the police if I trespassed, copying not only his tenants but also "other interested parties" and including the desk sergeant at the police department. I have obtained the form from the Florida Bar to file a complaint against him. Meanwhile, my husband had 2 more surgeries, the last on October 30, from which he's still recovering. I am at the point of suing both my neighbor and the attorney for defamation and/or harassment. Please advise me and thanks!.
