German man successfully sues neighbour for barbecuing too much

Another day, another case of a German person clashing with the infamous Ordnungsamt. They’ve ordered quiet on Sundays, shut noisy roosters into soundproofed coops, and now told a man that he can only have four barbecues per month, following a complaint from his neighbour. 

Grill wars: German man sued for having too many barbecues

A 75-year-old man from the town of Bad Tölz in Bavaria has successfully sued his neighbour for causing a bit of a stink by lighting his barbecue with unusual irregularity. As RTL reports, the two men live in the same apartment building in the small town, and the one in the upstairs flat began to get frustrated with his neighbour, who apparently took to grilling food on an electric barbecue on his terrace almost every single day. 

The smoke and rising smell became “unbearable” for the upstairs pensioner, who was named by RTL as Heinz J. Together with his wife, he reported his neighbour to the local authorities, and the case ended up in court. 

Man is now only allowed to have a BBQ 4 days a month

While the first court threw out the complaint, the plaintiffs appealed and a second district court in Munich - after hearing testimony from around a dozen witnesses about the smell and smoke caused by the grill - eventually sided with the couple. 

The court has ruled that the downstairs neighbour is only allowed to light up his barbecue four times per month, and additionally that he is not allowed to grill two days in a row on a weekend. If he does not comply, he risks being slapped with a 250.000-euro fine.