A Georgia resident has found themselves in quite a dangerous legal predicament after being allegedly threatened by a telecom company for millions of dollars. The accusation comes from r/legaladvice, where Reddit user Ok_Fly3763 says they recently purchased some land to build a home, only to find a massive bundle of fiber-optic cables several feet beneath the property. The telecom company had apparently illegally installed the cables over a decade ago and wasn’t about to give in to the new homeowner.
According to Ok_Fly3763, the telecom company had laid its cables on the property when it was vacant without any recorded easement as a shortcut from the main road. The Georgia property owner spoke with a company representative to find a solution, but instead of offering one, the company’s legal department sent them a threatening emergency cease-and-desist letter, shocking thousands of Redditors tuning in to the post.
“I cannot build my house without moving these lines, but the telecom company says relocating them will cost over $100,000 and they expect me to pay for it,” Ok_Fly3763 wrote. “This seems completely insane since they are tresspassing on my property,” and Reddit was in full agreement.
“This is incredibly insane. They took a shortcut to save money ten years ago, and now they expect you to pay for their illegal trespass?” exclaimed a commenter in disbelief. “This is a clear case of trespass, and they are completely liable for the relocation costs,” remarked another.
While it is possible that this Georgia utility company might try to claim rights to the property because ten years have passed since the cable was installed, a shrewd Redditor points out major oversights. According to Ok_Fly3763’s story, the lines were buried four feet underground and completely unmapped, with no way for an inspector to have spotted them without excavating.
Reddit Believes The Company Has Essentially Admitted Its Fault and Shouldn’t Receive a Dime from the Georgia Homeowner
As the commenter aptly put it, “There is no way they can argue you or the previous owner should have known they were there.” Still, the company’s management clearly allegedly believes it can scare the Georgia resident from protecting their own property, not to mention its legal team seems prepared for a fight.
Conversely, Reddit seems to believe the telecom company has already essentially admitted to trespassing without a legal agreement, thanks to the letter it sent OP. “The cease-and-desist letter is a classic bullying tactic because they know they are completely in the wrong here,” wrote a user. “Do not pay them a single penny for their mistake.”
As long as Ok_Fly3763 speaks with the right people and gets an ideal attorney on the case, things are looking to be in their favor, based on their post’s supportive commenters.
