Blame the Planes: Man Claims SFO Caused Divorce

By JESSICA GREENE

Updated 9:00 AM PST, Wed, Nov 18, 2009

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Infidelity, poor communication drug addiction ... all among the most popular causes of divorce. Some say the little things just that add up and overflow, leading to the end of a relationship.

But, blaming noise from a nearby airport for one's defunct marriage? That's a new one -- and exactly what a Bay Area man is claiming.

Stanley Hilton filed a $15 million lawsuit against San Francisco International Airport, saying the nonstop noise from jet engines caused such a rift in the relationship with his wife that she took the couple's triplets and left.

"The marriage went downhill almost immediately upon moving to this location," Hilton said, The San Mateo County Times reported. "The house became extremely uncomfortable with the smog and the noise, and it caused enormous problems that led to the divorce."

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The 60-year-old compares the noise to bombs dropping in a war zone.

Not only does Hilton blame the noise from SFO for his divorce, he also says it caused a nosedive in his health and professional career.

Among the many defendants named in Hilton's suit are the real estate agents who sold the couple their $1.4 million home in 2003. It's not usually part of the SFO flight path but, Hilton claims, the reverse propulsion of jets bounces off the hilly surroundings and creates a reverberating, intolerable boom.

Hilton is representing himself. It would seem he has the skillset -- he's a former civil litigation attorney with a law degree from Duke University and was an active member of the California bar for the past 30 years. But, he was deemed ineligible to practice law in August.

He's also no stranger to silly lawsuits. In August, he sued a San Mateo building owner for $20 million after he got stuck in an elevator. He claimed the experience left him with a phobia for riding in elevators.

SFO told the paper they wouldn't comment on the suit.