What can be done about an obnoxious neighbor that plays his music very loud, day and night? The police have tried, but so far nothing has worked.

If you have a noisy neighbor, you're not alone – and the situation is not helpless. In fact, while this situation can be frustrating, the good news is that you have a number of possible options to pursue. You should, of course, try the less-drastic tactics first: speaking to your neighbors, via letter if necessary, and/ or speaking to a landlord (yours, theirs, or both). If none of these options produce results, you can try a phone call to the police, but if even this fails to produce results, you may consider suing for nuisance in civil court.

A nuisance lawsuit is usually a small claims court matter, and the basis of the claim is that the noise produced by the neighbors is an interference with your legal right to "quiet enjoyment" of your property. In the lawsuit, you should ask for a monetary figure in exchange for the disturbances you have suffered. You'll probably want a lawyer at this point, at least to assist you in coming up with the figure and filing the initial suit, if not actually representing you in court.

Once you get to court, to collect damages for the nuisance your neighbor has caused, you will need to provide proof of the disturbances and to show and explain how this has interfered with your quality of life. You will also need to provide proof of your earlier attempts to obtain quiet by means such as letters and police phone call. 

Witnesses, recordings, police reports, and testimony of other neighbors can all be helpful in winning your lawsuit. Furthermore, whether or not you are monetarily compensated, the lawsuit may be enough to get the attention of the neighbors and/ or their landlord, and get the noise to stop.

To have the best chance of winning your case and getting compensation from your noisy neighbor for the annoyance you have had to endure, you should consider consulting with a lawyer as soon as possible.