Man Blames Airport Noise for Divorce, Sues Everyone
There are many things that could have led to Stanley Hilton's divorce.
But above all else, he blames the "around-the-clock" airport noise at San Francisco International Airport.
He said the noise from the jet roaring overhead was so powerful that it ripped his marriage a part.
According to unique court papers, Hilton, 60, claims his wife of 13 years divorced him and took their three young triplets with her last year because of the non-stop jet noise near their home.
Hilton said the aircraft takeoff sounds like bombs dropping in a war zone.
He filed a 16-page suit in San Mateo County Superior Court on Nov. 10, and Hilton is representing himself.
He is a former civil litigation attorney with a law degree from Duke University and was an active member of the State Bar of California.
The San Mateo County Times reports, Hilton sued San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Hillsborough, the counties of San Mateo and San Francisco, dozens of airlines and jet manufacturers, and the real estate agents and couple that sold him his home near the airport for $1.475 million in April 2003.
Hilton said his marriage went downhill almost immediately upon moving to the location.
His home is not usually part of the SFO flight path but, Hilton claims, the reverse propulsion of jets bounces off the hilly surroundings and creates a reverberating, intolerable sonic boom.
In Hilton's $15 million lawsuit he claims public nuisance, negligence, assault, battery, fraud and breach of contract.
The California State Bar however, has said that Hilton was deemed ineligible to practice law last August.
- Blame the Planes: Man Claims SFO Caused Divorce (NBC Bay Area)
- After life crumbles, Hillsborough man sues over SFO jet noise (SF Chronicle's The Scavenger)
- California Divorce Overview (provided by Stettner & Morris)
- Personal Injury FAQ (provided by Corsiglia McMahon & Allard, L.L.P.)