Bill Gross and his wife pleaded not guilty to charges they violated a court order to stop bothering their Southern California neighbor with loud music.
Escalating a fight with the couple who live next door to the billionaire “Bond King” on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, a lawyer for Bill and Amy Gross told a California state judge Tuesday they intend to prove they shouldn’t be held in contempt of court seven months after she ordered them to stop playing sitcom theme songs and other loud music when they aren’t outdoors.
Gross and Mark Towfiq, a millionaire, both have trophy ocean-front homes in Laguna Beach. But they have feuded since Towfiq complained about netting over a million-dollar piece of art in Gross’s yard. According to Towfiq, the Pimco co-founder responded by blaring TV sitcom themes, including “Gilligan’s Island,” at all hours of the day.
After a trial that featured nine days of testimony, Orange County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Knill ruled that what Gross did amounted to harassment. She ordered him to stop playing loud music in his yard when he or his wife weren’t outside and to keep at least five yards away from their neighbors.
The judge set a Sept. 13 hearing to take witness testimony. The Towfiqs asked for an earlier hearing but the Grosses told the judge they will be traveling on their honeymoon.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.