Neighbor flew a drone around a woman’s house to annoy her dog, but she had the last laugh

A woman was horrified when her neighbor demanded more than £700 ($900) from her after her dog destroyed one of his gadgets. However, after seeking advice on the Legal Advice forum on Reddit, the tables turned and the threatening neighbor was forced to pay her over £1,500 ($2,000).

Online, a woman explained that her neighbor had a habit of flying a drone low over her house to annoy her husky, but the frustrated dog eventually managed to catch it. She wrote: “Earlier today my neighbor started banging on my door, shouting obscenities and yelling at me. When I finally got him to stop screaming, I found out he had been flying his drone in my yard again and this time my dog ​​finally managed to destroy it.

She continued: “He claims it was a $900 drone and I had to pay him right away. I refused and closed the door in his face. A few hours later, the police arrived to take the drone away; it was still in my yard but my dog ​​completely ignored it as soon as it stopped buzzing.”

According to the woman, the neighbor told police that she refused access to the garden to recover the drone, but she insisted that this was not true because the neighbor had never asked about it. The woman also added that her neighbor “had a history” of flying her drone low over her garden to torment her dog, which she had previously reported to police.

She said: “I have asked him to stop several times, which he always refuses, saying I don’t own the air above my yard… The police didn’t say he couldn’t fly it in my yard, but he asked him to stop doing it to avoid conflict. It just made him excited.”

A few weeks later, she shared that her neighbor had decided to sue her in small claims court over the drone, prompting her to seek legal advice. She detailed, “My mother-in-law is a paralegal, so I was able to get a free consultation with the attorney she works for to ask a few questions about what to bring and how to prepare.”

She continued, “He seemed genuinely amused that my neighbor was even trying to file a lawsuit. He also suggested that I file a counterclaim and suggested how I could possibly add more damages.” The lawyer emphasized that she lived within five miles of the airport and that not only was her neighbor breaking the law, but she may not have registered her drone to fly. The woman also argued that her dog could have died if hit by the drone, which is why she was provoked.

The woman, who lives in the US, contacted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hotline to discuss her neighbour’s drone hobby and was informed that they were now investigating the matter. On the day of the court hearing, she explained that her neighbour’s actions were causing her dog anxiety and provocation, and added that the dog could potentially have died if the drone had hit it.