Life circumstances can sometimes have the worst timing, and what can make situations even more aggravating is if someone is at fault. That being said, a homeowner in Hendersonville, North Carolina, was a week away from putting their house up for sale when their neighbor decided that it was a good time to cut down their trees. Unfortunately, the tree fell onto the homeowner’s fence, breaking a portion of it, as well as destroying two other trees. The neighbor claims their tree-cutting company “would fix it” but refuses to communicate properly or provide any necessary details.
The North Carolina resident took to Reddit to ask about what sort of legal actions they should take against the neighbor or the company, as they can’t sell their home until everything has been resolved. Bizarrely, the neighbor refuses to disclose the company’s name or an update on the status of the repairs. “I’m going to try and knock on the neighbors door and see if we can resolve this amicably but I’m planning for if I need to take the issue to small claims court,” OP says in their post to r/legaladvice.
“OK, so I’m suing you,” remarked a commenter, suggesting what OP should say to their neighbor. “Sue the neighbor. Lawsuits shake up information fast,” agrees another. Of course, these are sort of blunt and could be more diplomatic, which is why almost two thousand people upvoting the following recommendation: “Hey, just wanted to ask one last time before insurance is forced to name you in their suit- can you please send me the name of the company that did your tree removal and damaged my fence?” The user also mentions that the OP should be prepared to deal with the possibility that the company may be a family member or a small business that isn’t properly insured.
What several commenters believe is that the North Carolina house seller shouldn’t even be looking into what the tree-cutting company’s name is. The neighbor is 100% responsible and should have legal action taken against them. Anything that’s unknown will come to light during the court case, as both a lawyer and an insurance company handle the situation. Hopefully, OP will take the advice and sue their neighbor for damages. They’re going to sell the house and leave eventually, anyhow. No need to play the “nice guy” anymore.
