Man living in so-called Sun Valley 'hoarder house' faces arrest if he keeps blowing off court requests

LOS ANGELES - On Thursday, the woman from the so-called "Sun Valley hoarder house" appeared in court in Van Nuys.

Mary Ferrera previously made headlines for the wrong reasons as the Sun Valley property was littered with dozens of vehicles, containers, trucks, and mountains of trash.

Visibly shaken, she insisted that the adult son living on the property, David Ferrera, is the one responsible for the hoarding condition.

Ferrera had been battling city, county and state officials for years. A 2021 EPA report described the site as contaminated with toxic metals, in addition to drawing the ire of the neighbors.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Cops breach Sun Valley 'hoarder house'

Flanked by her attorney, Mark Melnick and another family member, they joined Mary Ferrera on blaming David Ferrera, who has been living on the  property for years, saying he suffers from mental illness and refuses treatment. 

Melnick said city crews are assessing the situation. The city has since took over the cleanup efforts instead of waiting on the owner to do it.

They still have to go to court, though, as she is facing quite a few citations and will be billed for the cost of the cleanup. 

The son who lives there, David, is supposed to be at the next court hearing and could face the possibility of arrest if he continues to ignore the court's request. 

When FOX 11 last spoke to him off-camera, he maintained that he was "a collector" and that he had a right to keep whatever he wanted in his property.

The fact that it is private property does make the City's cleanup efforts more difficult. The City Attorney explained the delays in cleanup efforts came from the fact that it is a private property.

A trial date has since been set for David Ferrera, which will be for September 24.

Neighbors who've been battling the situation since 2019 plan to be there. No word from the City on when cleanup could begin.