Small Claims Suits

For more than three years, Dave Flynn has glared with growing frustration at the unkempt house across the street from his Huntington Harbour home. The city of Huntington Beach has filed criminal complaints against Flynn's neighbor, Elena Zagustin, and in a lawsuit outlined a host of code violations at her home: rubbish and debris piled outside along with broken and discarded furniture, six-foot-tall weeds and numerous fire code violations inside.

The owner of a Honda Civic hybrid won an unusual Small Claims Court lawsuit Wednesday against the auto giant that some legal experts believe could change strategies for both Small Claims Court and class-action litigation. A Los Angeles County court commissioner ruled that American Honda Motor Co. negligently misled Civic owner Heather Peters when it claimed the hybrid could achieve as much as 50 miles per gallon. Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan, who mailed his 26-page decision to Peters and Honda, awarded her $9,867.19 in damages.

A steady stream of Huntington Harbour residents told horror stories in small-claims court Monday about hoarded rubbish, vermin, loud noises and unbearable stenches at the home of their neighbor, nuisances that they say have plagued them for two decades. "I've had recurring nightmares because of the fire hazard. I've spent countless sleepless nights listening to her bang around in her trash cans," Raymond Goulette told Judge Corey S.

The law was supposed to send gusts of fresh air billowing through the smoke-filled haze of California's bars and restaurants, consigning smokers to outdoor patios and parking lots. But 2 1/2 years after the statewide ban on workplace smoking took effect, the city of Los Angeles has not fined a single bar for violating the rule.

The owner of a Honda Civic hybrid won an unusual Small Claims Court lawsuit Wednesday against the auto giant that some legal experts believe could change strategies for both Small Claims Court and class-action litigation. A Los Angeles County court commissioner ruled that American Honda Motor Co. negligently misled Civic owner Heather Peters when it claimed the hybrid could achieve as much as 50 miles per gallon. Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan, who mailed his 26-page decision to Peters and Honda, awarded her $9,867.19 in damages.

The law was supposed to send gusts of fresh air billowing through the smoke-filled haze of California's bars and restaurants, consigning smokers to outdoor patios and parking lots. But 2 1/2 years after the statewide ban on workplace smoking took effect, the city of Los Angeles has not fined a single bar for violating the rule.

Small-claims lawsuits have soared since "People's Court" went on the air in 1981. The Wall St. Journal reports that small- claims suits filed in the nation's courts have increased as much as 50%, with litigants becoming more vocal about their judgments--just like their TV courtroom counterparts. Says Judge Joseph Wapner, the feisty TV judge: "We're trying to teach people that the courts are there to serve them."

A San Fernando small claims court judge Tuesday ordered the city of Los Angeles to pay a Kagel Canyon resident $501 in damages for noxious gases blown into his home from the nearby Lopez Canyon Landfill, a decision the disgruntled neighbor said will encourage dozens more such lawsuits.

Lawyers from eastern Ventura County have taken it upon themselves to encourage greater use of the East County Courthouse in Simi Valley by donating equipment for the facility. A formal ceremony has been scheduled for this evening3 when members of the East County Bar Assn. plan to turn over such things as a television, microwave oven and videocassette player that could be used by jurors while they wait for trial, said Keith Jajko, a spokesman for Supervisor Judy Mikels.

An 18-year-old South Gate man has been ordered to pay restitution to the Downey Unified School District for vandalizing two high schools on three separate occasions. Michael S. Campbell, who began a six-month sentence in County Jail July 1, was ordered to pay $5,879 for damage caused when he and a 17-year-old vandalized lockers at Warren and Downey high schools. The pair were caught at Warren High on Dec. 15, 1985.

A steady stream of Huntington Harbour residents told horror stories in small-claims court Monday about hoarded rubbish, vermin, loud noises and unbearable stenches at the home of their neighbor, nuisances that they say have plagued them for two decades. "I've had recurring nightmares because of the fire hazard. I've spent countless sleepless nights listening to her bang around in her trash cans," Raymond Goulette told Judge Corey S.

For more than three years, Dave Flynn has glared with growing frustration at the unkempt house across the street from his Huntington Harbour home. The city of Huntington Beach has filed criminal complaints against Flynn's neighbor, Elena Zagustin, and in a lawsuit outlined a host of code violations at her home: rubbish and debris piled outside along with broken and discarded furniture, six-foot-tall weeds and numerous fire code violations inside.

Housing advocates receive thousands of complaints annually from tenants who have been unable to recover rent deposits from recalcitrant landlords. Some of these renters are the very people who can least afford to lose even a few hundred dollars, which to them may be the difference between affording new quarters and becoming homeless in pricey Orange County.

The producers of the television show "People's Court," who have dispensed justice daily in their televised courtroom for eight years, are tasting the frustration that can come from being in front of--rather than behind-- the judicial bench. A real Small Claims Court judge has ruled that Ralph Edwards Productions must pay Louis De George, 62, of Van Nuys, $1,500--even though he lost his case when he appeared on "People's Court" in February.