KFWB NEWS TALK 980’S “West of Legal” Examines Legal Options In Neighborhood Disputes

Jan. 12, 2012 - PRLog -- LOS ANGELES, CA – January 12, 2012 – Disputes with neighbors can turn one’s dream home into a nightmare.  On Sunday, January 15, at 1:00 p.m., West Seegmiller of WEST OF LEGAL on KFWB NEWS TALK 980 will examine some of these disputes and offer advice on how they should be handled legally.  

Neighborhood disputes account for roughly 45% of misdemeanor charges filed in U.S. courts every year, according to estimates by the American Bar Association. The leading categories for these complaints are vandalism from pets and kids, boundary trees and excessive noise.  Other top complaints include parking cars, bad odors and “spite fences,” a term used to describe a fence or ugly shrubs and trees erected or planted just to annoy a neighbor.

Trees blocking a view and branches from a neighbor’s tree encroaching one’s property are among the most common problems here in Southern California.  The show examines what the laws are about obstructing views and whether a homeowner has a right to trim a neighbor’s tree.

Barking dogs is another source of discontent, and owners who do not clean up after their pets.  WEST OF LEGAL looks at examples of how explains the fines that dog owners can face and offers advice on how to deal with these problems.

“People work hard all of their lives to afford a home, and I want to make sure that they know their legal rights as property owners before they take any kind of action,” said Attorney and host Seegmiller, who also holds a master of real estate development degree from the University of Southern California.  

Seegmiller founded The West Seegmiller Law Firm (www.theseegmillerlawfirm.com) over 30 years ago and is focused on tackling a variety of personal injury and wrongful death cases, including premises liability, product liability, auto accidents, dog bites, nursing home negligence, medical malpractice, at-work injuries and more.  The firm has offices in Irvine, Riverside, Los Angeles and San Bernardino, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Seegmiller served as a Pro Tem judge for the California Supreme Court for 10 years in addition to serving as a mediator.  He is also a member of the Professional Association of the Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, The American Bar Association, The Consumer Attorneys of California, and the American Association for Justice.  Seegmiller earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science at the University of California Davis and his master’s degree from the University of Southern California. Additionally, Mr. Seegmiller earned his Juris Doctorate from the McGeorge School of Law University of the Pacific in Sacramento, where he was selected to compete in the highly competitive Traynor National Moot Court Team and was a member of the prestigious Pacific Law Review. Since establishing his own firm in 1981, Mr. Seegmiller continues to educate himself and expand his knowledge in the legal field. He has refined his skills in the practice by attending both the Harvard Law School Program of Instruction for Lawyers, as well as, The Jerry Spence Trial Lawyers College.