this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2024
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[–] [email protected] 331 points 5 months ago (7 children)

"An attorney for PJ’s Construction said the developers didn’t want to hire surveyors."

Well there's your problem.

The answer here should be simple... the developers pay for demolition, removal of the house, and restore the property back to the condition where they found it.

[–] [email protected] 202 points 5 months ago (5 children)

They've sued everyone instead...

The lady that owns the property, the people who used to own it, a bank, an insurance company, I think a person that lives on another lot, the person who sold them the other lots.

In all likelihood the lawsuits are a stall until they can declare bankruptcy and start a new company.

But they can't just "restore" the property, it was full of mature native trees/plants and for bulldozed.

Also the reason they didn't "need" surveyors, was lots are clearly marked via numbers on telephone poles. They just read the numbers wrong. Which is even worse.

[–] [email protected] 119 points 5 months ago (3 children)

But they can't just "restore" the property, it was full of mature native trees/plants and for bulldozed.

Oh God.....tree law....I never realized how much I missed this.

[–] [email protected] 46 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Psh, the trees are the easy part, trees (for the most part) stay where you plant them.

Good luck reintroducing the pocono swallow, or even being able to afford to fly a Bird Law specialist out from Philly to determine damages.

Seriously tho, this lady just got a $500k house and probably a 1/10th of that in damages for a lot she paid 22k for.

[–] [email protected] 46 points 5 months ago (9 children)

A house that increased her taxes tenfold and that the developers are saying she can’t have.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It also says this was discovered when they sold the house. Hopefully that sale fell through with no clear title, but someone else may think it’s theirs

[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago

According to the article I read yesterday there are squatters in the house refusing to leave

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You don't understand tree law. A same tree of about the same size and age must be transported and planted where the old one was. It can cost well over $20,000 per tree. They don't get to just plant a sapling and say "20 years from now, you're all good".

Then it also has to survive the transplant and a fair amount don't, so must be replaced again if they fall over or die from the move.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

Tree law? Let's say you and I go toe-to-toe on bird law and see who comes out the victor.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago

Biggest thing I miss from old reddit. Oh well.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

Just have the Lorax settle this

[–] [email protected] 83 points 5 months ago (2 children)

They couldn't afford surveyors but they can pay lawyers to file a half dozen fraudulent lawsuits?

I hope a judge smacks them.

[–] [email protected] 49 points 5 months ago

Didn't say they couldn't afford them. They didn't want to pay that expense

[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Lawyers cost a lot to win a case like this.

One lawyer to send letters to 20 people demanding they all each pay...

That doesn't cost much, might actually work, and stalls the issue.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago

And leaves you enough time to close up shop, declare bankruptcy, and walk into court with Groucho glasses saying "your honor, clearly this suit is filed towards Romanes Eunt Domum. The company I run now is Romanes Eunt Domus."

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 months ago

The restoration part is where everyone involved is totally screwed.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Bold move Jim, let's see if it pays off.

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[–] [email protected] 84 points 5 months ago

Until they declare bankruptcy and reorganize as JP's Construction.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 5 months ago

Dear dumbass,

Please remove your abandoned property.

Love,

Attorney with the easiest job ever

[–] [email protected] 29 points 5 months ago

Surveyors: Actually a really important job because without them nobody knows where the fuck anything actually is in any precise way, nor does anyone actually know they own the land they think they do.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They also offered to “swap” her for the lot next door. F that, they should offer to buy it from her for fair market value

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Is that not what they are doing by offering an identical lot next to it that cost the same?

[–] [email protected] 24 points 5 months ago (15 children)

Doesn't sound the same, since one of them now has a house on it.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 5 months ago (4 children)

Or just give the property the owner the house for free in exchange for not suing and cut their losses. Would probably be cheaper in the long run, especially counting legal fees.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 5 months ago

She doesn't want the house because it balloons the taxes on the property from a few hundred to thousands per year

[–] [email protected] 23 points 5 months ago (8 children)

First: she has a right to be made whole and it’s not her concern what the people who wronged her have to go through to do that.

Second: she never wanted a house. She had a special vision for the space, a space that has now been damaged.

Third: squatters have rights and she may not be able to evict them. Their rights may take precedence over hers here.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

Not disagreeing with any of this but it should be clear to this lady her vision was screwed the moment a developer built a bunch of cookie cutter houses all over that area. A meditation center doesn't really work in that area any longer.

The issue with the taxes, the lawsuit, and the squatters is exactly why I would have just taken the offer to trade properties, she has an enormous headache on her hands and bailed on the easy way out of it.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

Wouldn't the property owner already own the house?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

Or they do whatever the property owner wants because it’s their property. They don’t get to decide shit.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Why don't they just pick up the house, and put it over there?

Seriously, I've seen houses being moved on trucks before, would it be faster and cheaper to do that?

[–] [email protected] 28 points 5 months ago

It looks like slab on grade construction, there's no moving those. The houses that can be moved are up on posts or over a basement.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago (5 children)

The land has permanent damage and no trees genius.

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