Q: We have a situation where a neighbor’s tree is dripping some kind of brownish stuff on our wall, which comes down like streaks of paint, and there is a bunch of debris. I finally had a tree expert come out, and he said his biggest concern is the tree is weakened and could fall. If our neighbor won’t remove the tree, can we get the court to order that it be cut down or taken out?

R.V., Pasadena

A: In California, a nuisance is defined by Civil Code Section 3479 as “anything which is injurious to health.” This can be something that obstructs the free use of your property, so as to interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property.

In your situation, you are to provide written notice to the neighbor, asking him or her to remedy the problem by such-and-such date. If the neigh

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