Living next to a nightmare is the reality for an Oregon couple who claim their neighbor’s mobile home emits a stench so overpowering it has literally floored them. John and Trudy Benjamin, residents of Parkrose Heights for over four decades, have taken legal action against their neighbor, Karen Ward, claiming that foul odors emanating from her RV have transformed their home environment into an unbearable and hazardous space.
The lawsuit, filed by the Benjamins, seeks compensation exceeding $200,000, attributing the offensive smell to a mix of raw sewage and chemicals. According to OregonLive, the couple’s once peaceful existence has been disrupted to the point of them donning gas masks to cope with the noxious fumes.
Trudy Benjamin, aged 67, recounted the troubling experience to the news outlet, explaining that she first detected the “life-altering” odor coming from the rectangular mobile home parked next to Ward’s traditional house last August. As the weeks passed, the stench grew increasingly unbearable, stripping her of the simple pleasures of gardening and relaxing in her own backyard.
“My husband began to notice it while walking by,” Trudy recalled, “and he exclaimed, ‘My God, what’s that?’ I had been enduring it for some time,” she shared with the outlet. The suit underscores the dramatic impact the smell has had on their daily life, painting a vivid picture of neighbors driven to desperation by an unrelenting olfactory assault.
Trudy, 67, told the outlet that she began noticing the “life-changing” smell from the rectangular mobile home parked next to Ward’s single-family residence last August and that it steadily became so overpowering that she was unable to enjoy gardening or lounging in her own yard.
“My husband started walking by and started smelling it, and he said, ‘My God, what’s that?’” Trudy told the outlet. “And I said, ‘Yeah, I’ve been smelling it for a while.’”
The couple’s lawyer, Karl Anuta, believes a chemical toilet in the small home may have overflowed and leeched into the ground below it — causing the owners to use bleach to mask the gnarly scent.
However, chlorine bleach mixed with ammonia in urine creates highly toxic chloramine gas, the outlet reported.
The foul stench even caused John, 77, to collapse and chip his kneecap, requiring surgery and extensive physical therapy.
On one occasion, a friend could detect the odor on the couple’s clothes, Trudy alleged.
John and Trudy have been forced to keep their windows and door tightly shut and wear gas masks with carbon filters when they walk out of their car in the driveway, the outlet reported.
Their medical providers advised the older couple to vacate their longtime home and find a temporary stay until the stinky situation can be fixed, Anuta told The Post.
“All the Benjamins want is to be able to use and enjoy their home of 40 years, without having to wear industrial-grade respirators whenever they go outside,” the attorney added.
Anuta said the Benjamins sent several emails to Ward after becoming fed up with the smell, but received “unsatisfactory responses,” including that she planned to install a composting toilet, would hook the tiny home up to a sewer line, and have the chemical toilet pumped regularly.
In an email to the local outlet, Ward, who does not have a lawyer, said the tiny home has an “RV toilet” and “portable septic tank” that was installed in the unit. They were both removed in late April, and the residue was cleaned.
The couple, however, said the stench persists, as do the symptoms — dizziness and nausea — it allegedly causes them and visitors.
They are seeking “non-economic damages in an amount the jury determines to be fair but in no event to exceed $200,000,” according to a complaint obtained by People.
The Benjamins also want the tiny home removed or no longer used until it’s connected to a sewer system, the outlet said.
