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property & neighbor disputes - REPRESENTATIVE CASES

  • A retired couple in rural Contra Costa County had been in a simmering dispute with the owner of a neighboring cattle ranch for many years over property lines and water rights. After a series of settlement conferences, including one at the ranch, the matter was resolved.


  • Nearly 100 plaintiffs claimed that their homes were damaged due to toxic soil contamination from neighboring property that had been a railway station and later a site for machinery repair. This complex, multiparty action was resolved following extended settlement negotiations.


  • Neighbors in an upscale community could not agree on the location or the terms of an easement adjacent to their shared property line. After visits to the property and a great deal of work with the neighbors, a comprehensive agreement was reached.


  • Presided over a lengthy jury trial in a dispute between neighbors regarding their respective rights to a small parcel of land located on their boundary. After one side built a wooden deck and pergola in the disputed area, the other cut it in two with a chain saw while being filmed by a security camera. The case involved novel easement and equitable relief claims.


  • Conducted a bench trial after floods caused by a blocked drainage pipe and earthen channel resulted in damage to a number of homes. The case involved difficult issues related to the “Natural Watercourse Rule,” and was eventually affirmed on appeal. Contra Costa County v. Pinole Point (2015) 235 CA4th 914.


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