Why would Orthodox Jews go out after dark on the Sabbath anyway? They would have to walk everywhere and then there are traffic signals with pedestrian lights that have to be activated.
Methinks this is a couple who are litiginous. If they are devout then keeping the Sabbath is more important than a hallway light. I suspect they are not devout Orthodox Jews.
And this is exactly what most Orthodox Jews do, and have done, for generations. The reason for being out after dark on the Sabbath is quite simple. Remember that according to the bible, a day begins at sundown (from Genesis), so the Sabbath actually begins at sundown on Friday night. I used to walk home with my Grandfather from Shull every Friday night (after dark) and would walk to services again the following morning. And sometimes it's nice to just take an evening walk.
Traffic signals wouldn't be such a big deal, since they're generally on timers.
But I agree, these are probably people looking for a payoff. I think that there would be a way to do what they want without going to court. Like mixing timers and motion detectors.
Mark