A years-long dispute in Livermore has escalated into a costly legal battle, with a couple facing a lawsuit from their next-door neighbors over a holiday light display, a wind chime and a fence they say are causing them emotional distress. James and Jannet Hays are being sued by their next-door ne ighbors, who allege the decorations and other installations at the Hays’ Camelia Drive home constitute a nuisance. The plaintiffs are seeking more than $100,000 in damages, according to the complaint. The Hays strongly deny the allegations, saying their holiday decorations are something they look forward to each year and are meant to bring joy, not distress, to their neighborhood. “We have a little gingerbread family, a tree, mom and dad and kids,” James Hays said excitedly while describing their Christmas display. Hays says their holiday decorations are something he and his wife spent hours planning and building, some of them from scratch.“They basically took something that was supposed to cheer us up and made it something where there’s nothing good to remember about it.” For the past six years, the Hays’ home has featured seasonal displays for Halloween, Christmas and Chinese New Year — sometimes keeping lights up for months. Jannet Hays said decorating is something she looks forward to annually. She says she recently suffered a miscarriage and was looking for something to cheer her up. “I feel like that brings me joy to see other people happy and enjoying our decorations,” she said. The couple says tensions between them and their neighbors began shortly after the plaintiffs moved in 2022. According to court filings, the problems intensified when the Hays extended their concrete driveway and crossed over between 1 and 3 inches onto their neighbor’s property. The Hays say they later removed the encroaching concrete. Alleged encroached concrete driveway crossing property line. (Photo provided by the Hays family) The lawsuit states that after the driveway dispute, interactions between the neighbors deteriorated. James Hays says he sought a civil harassment restraining order against his neighbor, but it was dismissed. When it comes to the holiday displays, the neighbors accuse the Hays of installing 50 to 60 outdoor lights, each rated at 50 lumens, aimed directly at the plaintiffs’ bedroom windows. According to the lawsuit, the lights were turned on nightly from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m., creating flickering patterns inside their home. Photos of the alleged light reflections are included in the court filing. The plaintiffs further allege in their complaint that the Hays installed large and loud wind chimes facing their home that produce “a cacophony of loud and disturbing noises which can exceed 70 decibels” and violate Livermore’s municipal noise ordinance. In November 2024, the complaint notes, the Hays built a 10-foot fence that exceeds Livermore’s six-foot height limit. The plaintiffs say the fence is an eyesore, blocks their view, and creates a feeling of entrapment.James Hays disputes those claims, saying the fence was installed for privacy and that the lawsuit exaggerates the impact of the lights and wind chime. “The ambient car noise is much louder than the wind chime,” he said, adding that a seven-and-a-half-foot fence separates the properties and that closing blinds or curtains would minimize the light. The plaintiffs through their attorney declined to comment beyond the allegations in the complaint–which indicates they have suffered insomnia, drowsiness and fear– and say they were forced to sleep on their living room couch for six months to escape the lights. The Hays say the legal fight has already cost them roughly $80,000 in legal fees. Despite that, they say they are not willing to abandon their holiday traditions. “This is very difficult where they just want to restrict light usage on our property,” James Hays said. “Where does it end?” The Hays have filed a legal objection, known as a demurrer, arguing that even if the plaintiffs’ claims were true, they do not meet the legal standard for a valid lawsuit. The neighbors are objecting the demurrer. The Hays say a judge has encouraged both sides to pursue mediation in hopes the dispute can be resolved outside the courtroom. ...read more read less