A wealthy Orange County couple were found in contempt of court on Friday for violating a restraining order taken out by a neighbor.
The billionaire investor and fund manager Bill Gross, along with his wife Amy, both of Laguna Beach, have been ordered by an O.C. Superior Court judge to spend two days performing community service for the violation. They were also fined $1,000.
The judge issued a three-year restraining order against the couple last year in response to complaints from their neighbors, Mark Towfiq and Carol Nakahara, who said the Grosses were blasting loud music non-stop in their back yard. The Grosses notably favored playing the theme song to "Gilligan's Island" on a loop, neighbors said.
Towfiq and Nakahara claimed the noise was intended to harass them after they complained to the City of Laguna Beach over the Grosses erecting netting around an art installation on their property. The netting reportedly obscured ocean views from Towfiq and Nakahara's home.
In July, Towfiq and Nakahara complained to Laguna Beach police that the Grosses were at it again—blasting music and shouting over the property divide, sometimes waking them late at night. They said the music would often play until at least after 10 p.m., violating a 9 p.m. quiet-hours rule.
In the wake of the July incident, Towfiq and Nakahara sought a five-year extension of the restraining order prohibiting the Grosses from playing loud music outdoors. They also asked the judge to limit the height of any umbrellas on the Gross property to seven feet, claiming a 15-foot umbrella on the neighboring lot also obstructed their ocean views.
O.C. Superior Court judge Kimberly Knill ordered the Grosses to abstain from playing music outdoors once again. She warned the couple the would spend another three days in jail if they committed any other violations in the next year. She declined to wade into the umbrella-height issue.
Bill Gross, known for founding the global investment management firm PIMCO, called the ruling a "travesty of justice" and a "black mark on the Orange County judicial system."
He accused Knill of being biased against him and his wife, and said she was using the case to "advance her promotion to a higher court."
The Grosses said they intend to appeal the decision.
Reporting contributed by City News Service.
