Orange County Register:
Condo owners win secondhand smoke case

Published: March 12, 2013
By Marilyn Kalfus

An Orange County jury has found a homeowners association negligent for failing to resolve a secondhand smoke dispute between neighbors at a Trabuco Canyon condominium. After a five-week trial, Superior Court jurors last week awarded a family more than $15,000, finding the condo association and management failed to ensure the non-smoking family’s right to the “quiet enjoyment” of their own unit. The verdict comes amid a growing trend in California. Non-smokers are complaining to homeowners associations, filing lawsuits and appealing to city councils to try to stop tobacco smoke from infiltrating their apartments and condominiums. A bill is pending in the state Legislature that would ban smoking in multiunit residences. Read more:  http://www.ocregister.com/articles/smoke-499353-association-secondhand.html