Retaining Wall Owner Liability for Collapse Despite Neighboring Structure Failure

A party appealed a decision that held them liable for damages resulting from the collapse of a retaining wall, arguing that the wall was old and the collapse was due to an unforeseen event, specifically the failure of a neighbor's adjacent structure to contain earth pressure. The court, however, upheld the liability, reasoning that the owner of a retaining wall has an absolute obligation to maintain it in a condition capable of withstanding the pressure of the retained earth, and this obligation is not absolved by attributing the collapse to the failure of a neighboring structure unless that failure was the sole, exceptional cause, which was not established in this case.