Elderly Portland Couple Sues Neighbor for $200,000 Over Alleged Foul Odor from Tiny Home's Chemical Toilet
Portland, Oregon — An elderly couple in Northeast Portland’s Parkrose Heights neighborhood has filed a lawsuit seeking $200,000 in damages against their neighbor, claiming a strong, persistent sewage-like odor from a tiny home’s chemical toilet has severely impacted their health and enjoyment of their property. John Benjamin, 77, and his wife Trudy Benjamin, 67, filed the civil lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court against neighbor Karen Ward. The suit alleges that the problem began last year when Ward placed a tiny home on a wheeled trailer on her property, directly adjacent to the shared fence with the Benjamins’ longtime family home. According to court filings, someone began living in the tiny home, which is equipped with a chemical toilet that is **not connected** to the city’s sewer system. The couple claims the odor from the toilet grew increasingly intense, eventually “blanketing” their yard and seeping into their home unless all windows and doors remained closed. The Benjam...