Politics · India Bureau
US County's Botched Landslide Work Leaves Couple With Massive Bill
A California couple has challenged Santa Clara County's demand for over $676,000 after alleging the county's emergency work to address a public road hazard left their property severely damaged and required them to spend more than $300,000 in repairs.
LSN India ·
The couple claims Santa Clara County entered their property to remediate a landslide that threatened an adjacent public road but departed after leaving the hillside in a hazardous condition. Following their own costly repairs, the county subsequently presented them with an invoice totalling $676,703.22 for the work it had undertaken.
The couple's legal challenge centers on their assertion that the county's intervention caused rather than resolved structural damage on their land. They spent over $300,000 addressing dangerous conditions they attribute to the county's work, according to court filings.
A federal judge has dismissed their current complaint while permitting them to pursue amended claims based on constitutional grounds. The partial dismissal preserves key aspects of their legal battle, allowing certain constitutional arguments to proceed through the court system.
The case raises questions about liability and cost responsibility when government agencies conduct emergency work on private property. The decision to allow constitutional claims to move forward suggests the court found merit in at least some of the couple's arguments regarding potential governmental overreach or property rights violations.