LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Netflix Inc. is being sued by a members of a Hollywood Hills household who say an image likely taken by a drone of their unique and isolated Hollywood Hills home in 2022 for the series "Buying Beverly Hills" has caused them relentless harassment by sightseers and real estate agents and raised concerns for their safety.

Aharon Dihno, 60, and his two minor children and Dihno's partner are the plaintiffs in the Los Angeles Superior Court suit brought Tuesday, alleging intrusion upon seclusion, violation of the state's false advertising and privacy laws and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. A Netflix representative did not reply to a request for comment.

Netflix published the ad at issue in September, promoting "Buying Beverly Hills," a reality television show depicting the daily operations of The Agency, a real estate firm that sells high-end property. The show focuses specifically on The Agency's Beverly Hills office. The Agency is a co-defendant in the suit.

The ad featured an image of Dihno's family home, located on a ridgeline above the height of any street or home nearby and which is not visible from any street or vantage point in the immediate vicinity, the suit states. The depiction shows the interior and exterior of Dihno's home from a vantage point that could only have been obtained with a drone, the suit states.

The ad features intricate details of Dihno's home, including the interior layout, entrances, exits and a deck which is accessible from the front entry way, and was published on Netflix's home page, the suit states. Netflix has 231 million subscribers alone and the image also was republished elsewhere on the Internet, the suit states.

After the ad was shown, Dihno and his household "suffered a constant onslaught of visitors interested in seeing the property," causing the plaintiffs to fear for their safety and lose any sense of privacy, the suit states. The plaintiffs also have had harassing phone calls from real estate brokers interested in selling the property, according to the suit.

The plaintiffs believe families and homes associated with reality television programs are targets for criminals who want to rob or burglarize homes seen on these series because entrances, exits and floor layouts are seen by them, the suit states. In March 2022, a neighbor of the plaintiffs was tied up in his own home and robbed at gunpoint by people who followed him to his house, and another nearby family was battered and robbed of $1 million in property by intruders, the suit states.

Dihno's personal business, which he operates out of his home, has been negatively impacted and the plaintiffs have suffered both emotional distress and reputation damage, according to the suit.

Monique Marvez