California couple spent $300,000 fixing damage, then got $676,703 county bill
A California couple is engaged in a legal battle with Santa Clara County after being billed over $676,000 for remediation work on their property following a landslide. The couple claims the county's intervention caused further damage to their land, leading to a federal lawsuit involving multiple constitutional and negligence claims.
Why it matters
This case highlights the complex legal tensions between local government emergency powers and private property rights during natural disaster mitigation.
A California couple who say Santa Clara County damaged their property while trying to deal with a landslide threatening a public road have been allowed to continue parts of their legal fight. The couple say they spent more than $300,000 repairing the alleged damage, only to later receive a $676,703.22 bill from the county for its work. A federal judge has dismissed their current complaint but allowed them to amend some of their claims.Alejandro V Rubin and Lisa M Stein own property in an area designated as a “high-hazard landslide zone”, according to the court document. Their land includes a hillside overlooking Mount Madonna Road, a public road maintained by Santa Clara County. According to their complaint, a landslide began around March 2024, sending “soil and debris onto Mount Madonna Road”.
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