Parking Problems
Towfiq claims it began after he complained to the city about a million-dollar glass sculpture by artist Dale Chihuly on Gross’s property that was covered by an unsightly net. After that, Towfiq says Gross and Schwartz subjected him to hours of sonic abuse -- blasting rap music and theme songs from TV shows including “Gilligan’s Island” and “Green Acres”-- to get him to drop the complaint. Gross accused Towfiq of being a “peeping Tom” who leers and spies on him and his girlfriend.
As a result both men ended up in the Santa Ana court with harassment complaints and each seeking a restraining order.
Gross and Schwartz claim it was the “Ballers” shoot that ended any good relations between the neighbors.
During the weeklong shoot, the crew’s trucks lined the coastal highway, blocking access to Gross’s driveway, Schwartz said in a declaration to the court.
“Worse yet, the vehicles impeded the ability of our contractor to get to the house, which occurred just when we were trying to complete several projects in time for my birthday,” she wrote.
But Towfiq said Gross and Schwartz weren’t even living in the home at the time of the filming.
“There were a lot of workers doing all sorts of construction in the house,” when the TV shoot occurred, Towfiq said. “The house wasn’t even ready for them yet.”
Gross’s property manager, Efrain Alba, took the stand late Thursday and testified he often played music for hours at a time when he was at the home and the couple wasn’t. He said his employer supplied him with a decibel meter.
“I always use that as a metric to make sure it’s not too loud,” he said.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.