Question:
We had an electronic bulletin board installed in the lobby of our building. since there was no charge on the part of the tenants, we didn’t have a meeting about it and the house committee decided on its own to order this service. one of the neighbors, who is renting- not an owner – an apt in the building , disconnected the monitor because he is against this. is he liable for damages that he causes, if the monitor cannot be fixed without charges?
Answer:
It is hard to answer this without hearing both sides, but as I already mentioned to a different question, the main issue here is that there should be some mediator here that can help you come up with some solution to everyone’s satisfaction.
Best Wishes
Granted that one needs to hear both sides, however doesn’t this sound like a very straightforward case of “mazzik” to the owner of the bulletin board?
If the dweller thinks that the building is doing something wrong by having this type of board in the building, then he should call his neighbors to a din Torah. Under the circumstances, there does not seem any “hetter” to take matters into his own hands, as the criteria for עביד אינש דינא לנפשיה are not present here.
Very true, he should not of done what he did and according to the version of the person asking the question he is mazik. Aside from this, even if he didn’t like the board there, he should have asked the people in the building to take it down themselves. I was coming from a practical angle, that the crux of the issue here is not the halachic shailoh if he has to or doesn’t have to pay, but the fact that we have a machkols here, and that is what really has to be dealt with.
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