def has_bad_first_or_last_char(val: str) -> bool:
    """Returns true if a string starts with any of: {," ; or ends with any of: },".

    Args:
        val: The string to be tested.

    Returns:
        Whether or not the string starts or ends with bad characters.
    """
    return val is not None and (val.startswith('{') or val.startswith('"') or val.endswith('}') or val.endswith('"'))