Ever had a peaceful night’s sleep shattered by a noisy animal? If you have lived for any amount of time in Costa Rica, your answer is likely a resounding Yes! If you are like me, you may have tossed and turned in bed while fantasizing about throttling the owner of said animal. You may have had fleeting glimpses in your head of wringing the neck of that squawking gallo and roasting it for dinner, or of cutting the rope and letting run free that dog whose anguished barks pierce the night air. If you are a bit more rational you may have laid there and wondered if you could sue the owner.
Well, according to a lawyer named Alberto Castillo, you can. Appearing on national channel Teletica, Castillo explained the steps involved: First, talk to the owner of the animal: If the owner blows you off, file a complaint in a Contraventional Court, where they will issue a summons to the person who owns the animal to see him in a court hearing. Finally, if they can not reach an agreement with the pet owner the judge will issue a resolution.
Castillo explained this in response to a man who claimed to be tormented every night by the crowing of his neighbor’s rooster. The unidentified man, who lives in Santa Barbara de Heredia, said the gallo crows in front of his house all night, and his life has become unbearable. He has discussed it with the neighbor, who apparently has done nothing to change the situation. This case is pending, and I hope the aggrieved neighbor gets justice in the courtroom, or at least, if the all-night crowing continues, an eventual chicken dinner.
This poor guy is far from alone. I have been awakened over the years by not only crowing roosters, but also barking dogs, car horns, car alarms, house alarms, overamplified music, fireworks, motorcycles without mufflers, and the Evangelical church down the street banging drums, strumming guitars and singing hosannas to their savior.
I will be watching this case, because if the neighbor wins, it could open the door to all sorts of possibilities. No longer would we be made to suffer in silence at the mercy of that segment of the population seemingly intent on shattering the peace and quiet. Some ambitious lawyers would be necessary to help us in this fight.
If every one of us who has lost a good night’s sleep to the noise generated by a thoughtless neighbor banded together, we could file the class action lawsuit to end all class action lawsuits. Maybe subdivide them, with one suit against disruptive animal owners, another against owners of cars and houses with alarms that go off for no reason at all hours, another against obnoxiously loud music no matter its source (bar, church or private house). The possibilities are endless.
Costa Rica has over 34,000 lawyers, and a lot of them are desperate for work. A massive class action suit of this nature would keep them busy. Here is to hoping that neighbor wins his case. Then the fun will really begin. We can all lawyer up and half of the nation will be suing the other half. Pura vida!
