They cut down 11 of my trees without asking. Not trimmed, not touched, cut. Gone to stumps overnight while I slept. While I had no idea anyone had stepped foot on my land. They wanted a better view of the lake. They thought I wouldn’t notice or wouldn’t fight back or would simply let it go the way quiet people sometimes do.
They were wrong on all three counts. What followed took two years, three attorneys, one county hearing, and a construction project they will have to look at for the rest of their lives. My name is not important. What matters is the land. I own 4.2 acres in a rural county in the upper Midwest. The property has been in my family for a long time.
I bought it from my uncle 11 years ago, paid a fair price, recorded the deed, and have paid every tax bill on time since the day I signed. The land sits on a gentle slope. At the bottom of that slope is a shared access road. Beyond that road is a private lake, a small one, maybe 40 acres of water. I have a deed right to use the lake. I am not the only one.
There are seven other parcels with lake access rights. The neighbors directly to my east. I will call them the varners. Purchased their lot about 4 years ago. They built a large house with a deck facing west facing my tree line. I did not know at the time that my trees bothered them. I found out the hard way.
