Legal Question in Business Law in New Jersey

A tree company came into my yard and cut my trees without my permission.

My neighbors want me to cut down the pine trees that border our yards. The trees are on my property. I like them and they give us privacy. I made that very clear to my neighbors. I came home from work one day to find that a tree company that my neighbors hired, came onto my property, climbed the trees, and cut all of the branches off one side of each tree. The branches that were cut will not grow back. I do not know the name of the tree company. Now the trees are an eyesore and I had to pay $1,000.00 for a fence for privacy. Was the company allowed to do that? Did my neighbors have any right to authorize anyone to cut my trees? What are my rights? What can I do?


Asked on 7/13/00, 12:45 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert Gleaner Robert A. Gleaner, P.C.

Re: A tree company came into my yard and cut my trees without my permission.

Leaving aside the issue of whether or not the tree company trespassed on your property for a second, your neighbor was permitted to removeany branches that extended onto his property, even if that made it unsightly. However, if what was done actually killed the trees, then you may have a claim against the neighbor and/or the tree company. Concerning the trespass, it appears that that may have occurred. However, I doubt that a prosecutor would be interested in prosecuting that. I may be wrong, however, so you may want to discuss this with your town's prosecutor. Keep in mind that this advice is based purely on the little bit of information that you have given to me. There may be other factors that would change my opinion. Further, no one can rely on advice from an attorney who has not been retained. Since you have not retained an attorney in this case, before you take any action, you should contact an attorney (either me or someone else) to discuss your matter in more detail. Only then will you be able to rely on the advice. I will be happy to assist you. However, you need to call me at 856-546-8010. If you mention LawGuru, there will be no charge for your first consultation. Good luck! Rob Gleaner

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Answered on 9/12/00, 8:33 am


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