'I Can't Go Out There': Vegan Sues Neighbors Over Barbecue Meat Smells
GIRRAWHEEN, Australia (CBS Local) -- A vegan has taken her neighbors all the way to Australia's Supreme Court after complaining about the smell of meat and fish emanating from their barbecues.
Cilla Carden has been locked in a legal battle for two years with two of her neighbors, claiming that the odors have ruined her quality of life at her home in the Perth suburb of Girrawheen.
"All I can smell is fish," Carden told told Nine News. "I can't enjoy my back yard. I can't go out there."
Carden, a massage therapist, is also furious at cigarette smoke drifting into her yard and the sound of children playing with basketballs next door.
"It's been devastating, it's been turmoil, it's been unrest. I haven't been able to sleep," she said.
A Perth vegan has taken her neighbours all the way to the Supreme Court, demanding they stop smoking, bouncing balls and even cooking barbecues in the backyard. https://t.co/4k7DFV0JX2
— Nine.com.au (@Ninecomau) September 2, 2019
A lower court threw out the case in February, prompting her to file a 600-page appeal to the Supreme Court of Western Australia.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Peter Quinlan rejected her appeal in July and encouraged both parties to instead "direct their considerable energy towards the resolution of their differences as best they can."
Carden, however, has vowed to continue the fight and return to court. And now her neighbors are organizing a giant cookout outside her home.
"Don't let Cilla destroy a good old Aussie tradition, join us for a community BBQ in protest of her actions, and help Cilla Carden GET SOME PORK ON HER FORK," the event description reads on a Facebook page branded "Community BBQ for Cilla Carden."
Vegans are not welcome to the Oct. 19 event, the page says.