'We will continue to dance the night away!' Defiant billionaire Bill Gross vows to KEEP playing Gilligan's Island song - just at a legal volume - after judge slapped him with restraining order in feud with neighbor over $1M sculpture
The first round of California billionaire Bill Gross' epic legal battle with his tech-entrepreneur neighbor Mark Towfiq has ended in a loss for the 'Bond King', after a judge slapped Gross with a restraining order.
Laguna Beach neighbors Gross and Towfiq have been at odds for months now in a feud that either started over a shoot for the TV show Ballers or a $1 million, 22-foot glass sculpture, depending on who you ask.
Towfiq accused Gross of retaliating against his complaints about the sculpture and its large protective net by blaring loud music, including the theme song to Gilligan's Island.
Gross accused Towfiq of disturbing 'peeping Tom' behavior, including voyeuristic filming of Gross and the woman he calls his life partner, Amy Schwartz, as they swam in their pool. Both men had sought restraining orders against the other.
On Wednesday, Orange County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Knill tossed out Gross' complaint and issued a restraining order barring him and Schwartz from playing music outside when they aren't outdoors for three years.
'We won’t play loud music because never have. But we will continue to dance the night away, Gilligan’s Island forever,' a defiant Gross said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
Laguna Beach neighbors Bill Gross (left) and Mark Towfiq (right) have been at odds for months now in a feud that either started over a shoot for the show Ballers or a $1 million glass sculpture
The pair have been involved in a bitter dispute since last year, when Gross installed an 'unsightly' netting around a lawn sculpture created by renowned blown-glass artist Dale Chihuly
'Despite obtaining his requested restraining order, Mr. Towfiq has succeeded in nothing but wasting the county’s resources over seven weeks, in the middle of a major state, national and global pandemic,' the statement added.
'Mr. Towfiq wanted his 15 minutes of fame but got it at the expense of the county, its courts, and those in need,' said Gross.
Gross said that he and Schwartz are 'disappointed in the outcome, and will of course abide by the terms of the court’s decision.'
Gross' attorney said in a statement: 'We want to emphasize that the Judge found Mr. Towfiq’s videoing of Mr. Gross on his own property “disturbing” and “unacceptable”, and that if he persists with this behavior, she will welcome a new request for a restraining order against Mr. Towfiq.'
'Today’s decision by the court is disappointing, but let me be clear what it is most definitely not: this order is not some sort of censure of either Bill Gross or Amy Schwartz, our clients,' added attorney Jill Basinger, saying the restraining order merely directs them to 'follow the law.'
The neighbors both still have dueling lawsuits pending in in Orange County Superior Court, which could be heard in 2021.
Over the last few weeks, the two men aired their grievances against one another in Orange County Superior Court in a series of hearings, reprising their respective allegations of voyeurism and blaring sitcom theme songs.
Towfiq had requested the judge ban Gross and Schwartz from playing music at a volume that violates city code for three-years; Gross had asked that Towfiq be forbidden from taking any pictures and videos of him or Schwartz while they're at home.
Gross, who founded one of the world's largest fixed-income funds, Pimco, and is worth an estimated $1.5billion, said he purchased his ocean view Laguna Beach mansion with life partner Schwartz to serve as a retreat to spend summer weekends when they weren’t at their main residence in Newport Beach.
The couple’s neighbors, former software company executive Mark Towfiq and his wife, Carol Nakahara, said they built their ‘dream home’ on the property in 2009, and hoped it would serve as a place they could host their extended family.
Billionaire bond king Bill Gross's (pictured last week) legal battle against tech entrepreneur neighbor Mark Towfiq drew to an end on Wednesday - for now
Gross's neighbor Mark Towfiq, pictured with wife Carol Nakahara during the hearings, has accused Gross of harassing him by playing loud music at night
Apparently, Towfiq did not have an issue with the glass sculpture until Gross began to install elaborate netting (above) to protect it from 'vandalism' and environmental damage
Laguna Beach police officers are seen posing with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson outside of Towfiq's home in May 2019, during a shoot for the HBO series Ballers that Gross says caused chaos on the street and blocked their driveway
But instead, both couples now say they feel unsafe in their homes on account of the apparent harassment each claims to have fallen victim to at the hands of the other.
Towfiq claims Gross began harassing him with deafeningly loud music all all hours after he wrote a letter of complaint about the sculpture's netting to the city, which resulted in Gross being informed he lacked the proper permits for the structure.
Gross, meanwhile, claims the feud pre-dates the sculpture and actually began in May 2019, when Towfiq allowed the HBO show Ballers to film on his property, blocking surrounding roads as Gross and Schwartz were attempting to move in.
Towfiq disputes that the Ballers incident caused bad blood, noting that Gross invited him to a Kenny Loggins concert in his backyard months later and that nothing seemed amiss.
One of the lawyers involved in the dispute described the case's culmination as ‘a neighbor dispute that has gone completely out of proportion,’ according to the Orange County Register.
Gross and Schwartz installed the $1 million Dale Chihuly sculpture - which features cobalt-colored reeds stretching nearly 10 feet high - back in 2019.
Throughout a trial that has been held across the last month, Towfiq has insisted he had no issues with the sculpture itself, rather his ire was struck when Gross installed protective netting around it this summer.
Gross said he installed the net after the sculpture suffered $50,000 worth of damage. Towfiq complained the 'unsightly' net partially blocks his view of the Pacific Ocean.
He then lodged a complaint with the city of Laguna Beach, who in turn sent Gross a letter informing him the sculpture and netting lacked the proper permits.
Towfiq said the complained appeared to incense Gross, who proceeded to make his life a 'living hell' by playing music at all hours of the day and night, including the Gilligan's Island theme tune and Mariachi music.
His lawyers read out in a court a text Gross sent to him in response to Towfiq requesting he turn the music down, in which he wrote: ‘Peace on all fronts or we will have nightly concerts here, big boy.’
Towfiq also alleged the couple were using remote controls to turn on the music, which he claims would play even when they were obviously not at home.
Two officers with the Laguna Beach Police Department who attended to noise complaint calls in recent months also testified during the hearing.
One officer, Ashley Krotine, said she’d arrived at Towfiq’s home on October 22 to hear Mariachi music blaring so loudly from Gross’ home that it was drowning out the sound of the ocean and the traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway.
During closing arguments last week, Towfiq’s attorney Chase Scolnick said he had no idea of the ‘wrath, revenge and harassment he would face’ for complaining about the sculpture’s netting.
‘They were furious,’ Scolnick said of Gross and Schwartz. ‘And almost immediately they began a calculated and cruel campaign to intimidate and harass.’
Gross (left) allegedly responded Towfiq’s (right) protests by playing loud music, including the theme to Gilligan’s Island, at all hours of the day in order to get Towfiq to drop his complaint. The two men later sued one another for harassment
The homes of Mark Towfiq and Bill Gross are seen above in this aerial image
Gross (pictured last week with partner Amy Schwartz, right, and attorney Jill Basinger, left) has accused Towfiq of being a 'peeping Mark'
Towfiq's attorney said he had no idea of the ‘wrath, revenge and harassment he would face’ for complaining about the sculpture’s netting
Gross and Schwartz have meanwhile testified that they were simply playing music outdoors at a reasonable level while swimming in their pool.
Of the frequent playing of the Gilligan’s Island theme song, the couple said it has become a favorite of theirs and holds a 'special' place in their lives, having recently learned the opening credits of the show were filmed near their Newport Beach home.
The couple’s attorneys also alleged that Towfiq’s efforts to photograph and video them was not about documenting noise complaints, as he had claimed, but instead a ‘creepy’ violation of privacy.
‘We called him “Peeping Mark”,' Gross told the court during a hearing last week, before describing Towfiq as ‘strange’ and ‘dangerous to approach’.
Gross then addressed text messages he had sent to Towfiq, threatening to throw 'nightly concerts' unless there was 'peace on all fronts.'
'What I did was not a nightly concert, so I guess I didn't make good on my promise,' Gross said.
He also claimed he had installed the net at the center of the dispute to stop Towfiq from allegedly spying on him.
‘It is true they play music, they enjoy it, they dance to it,’ Gross and Schwartz’s attorney, Jill Basinger, told the court last Wednesday.
‘The purpose of their home is the outdoor living. It is an open floor plan. They listen to music, but there is no evidence the music is loud.’
Towfiq’s attorneys have specifically requested the judge issue a three-year restraining order to bar Gross and Schwartz from playing music at a volume that violates city code, and not to play music on outdoor speakers when no one is in their yard.
Gross and Schwartz, meanwhile, have asked the judge to bar Towfiq from using an iPhone, or any type of camera, to record them while they’re on their property.
‘We called him “Peeping Mark”,' Gross told the court during a hearing last week. He went on to describe Towfiq as ‘strange’ and ‘dangerous to approach’
Towfiq’s attorneys have specifically requested the judge issue a three-year restraining order to bar Gross and Schwartz from playing music at a volume that violates city code
Before the hearing’s culmination, Gross had requested the two men end their legal dispute and donate their attorney fees to ‘charities providing critical assistance in this time of need’ in an open letter last week.
In his letter, Gross wrote: 'Those who know me and my history also know I do not willingly back down from a fight.
'But this situation has escalated far out of proportion to the actual issues at stake, which are petty in comparison to a world in which thousands are dying and suffering every day, while many more are out of work and desperate to pay the rent and feed their families,' he continued.
Gross requested both sides, 'calculate all our respective legal fees and court expenses that we have already spent and will spend on this multifront battle, agree to end all hostilities, and instead donate the proceeds to Orange County food banks and other charities providing critical assistance in this time of need.'
But Towfiq's attorney, Jennifer Keller, fiercely dismissed Gross' offer, insisting: 'We don’t intend to participate in his publicity stunt.'
'This is a desperate stunt to stem the tide of negative press the public exposure of Gross’s actions has produced,' she said.
Hitting back, Gross’ attorney Jill Basinger told DailyMail.com Towfiq's refusal to accept the settlement proposal in 'a way that will benefit those in need during these difficult times proves our assertion that his claims are nothing more than a thinly veiled publicity stunt and money grab, and that he cares about no one other than himself.'
Gross later donated $500,000 to food banks and other charities supporting COVID relief efforts around his Laguna Beach home to spite Towfiq for refusing to settle the feud.
Towfiq, meanwhile, dismissed the $500,000 donation as a stunt to save Gross's reputation.
His former partner, Sue Gross (shown above), claimed that Bill Gross sprayed noxious scents around the home and even crammed dead fish into air vents, making her life 'an unmitigated nightmare' for several months
'When I was finally able to obtain access to this house, I was disgusted to see that Bill had left it in a state of utter chaos and disrepair,' a court filing from Sue Gross reads. 'I found empty spray bottles of 'puke' smell and 'fart' smell in the garbage'
This is not the first time Gross has been accused of employing juvenile tactics to torment his adversaries.
Gross was accused in 2018 of spraying his $20million marital home with fart spray after he was forced to hand over the keys to the mansion to his ex-wife as part of a divorce settlement.
His former partner, Sue Gross, claimed that he sprayed noxious scents around the home and even crammed dead fish into air vents, making her life 'an unmitigated nightmare' for several months.
'When I was finally able to obtain access to this house, I was disgusted to see that Bill had left it in a state of utter chaos and disrepair,' a court filing reads.
'I found empty spray bottles of 'puke' smell and 'fart' smell in the garbage; the houseplants smelled foul and had to be replaced. The carpets were stained, and there was water damage throughout the house.'
Gross made his fortune running PIMCO Investment management, and Towfiq is a tech entrepreneur. Gross purchased the Laguna Beach mansion, dubbed Rockledge-by-the-Sea, for $32million in 2018.
Towfiq built his dream home on the lot next door after purchasing it in 2009 and winning a protracted legal battle with another neighbor who claimed the project would impede coastal access.
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