The verdict in Rancho Palos Verdes: Don't mess with the Donald
Department of random property disputes: A Rancho Palos Verdes woman says the Donald Trump organization summarily ended a property dispute by sending a construction crew and bulldozers to rip down and relocate the fence in her backyard.
The homeowner, Jessica Leeds, has property that borders on Trump's golf course development, and had been in negotiations with the Trump organization, which was arguing that her fence was actually in Trump's property. She says she believed the two sides were in the process of negotiating a solution when a construction crew showed up last Thursday.
“All of a sudden, they were here with their bulldozers taking down the fence, removing and destroying landscape, trees, a walking path, a storage unit — just bulldozing through the whole thing,” Jessica Leeds told the Palos Verdes Peninsula News. “They had a surveyor here … [who] moved the old fence … and put up the fence with some new posts at that supposed property line — which I’m not sure whether it is or not — without even giving me a survey, without even calling me, without even sending a letter — no notification.”
More:
According to David Conforti, the general manager of the Trump-owned course, the action taken on Thursday was to “recoup” their land.
“We’re simply reclaiming what is legally, rightfully ours,” Conforti said on Friday. “[Leeds] certainly had the forewarning. It was a few months old. There was nothing ripped out. What we simply did was remove the fence and then reinstall it on the property line.”
The Trump Organization last winter sent a letter stating that Leeds had 10 or 14 days to move the fence herself, which she did not do, Conforti said.
--Peter Viles
Your thoughts? Comments? E-mail story tips to Peter Viles
Photo Credit: L.A. Times
Sometimes the rich guy is in the right:
“Jessica Leeds … was in the process of negotiating a lot line adjustment for a piece of land in her backyard that the Trump Organization technically owns.”
“Either I’d have to pay for the land, or it would be turned over to the city and I could buy it from the city, or they could always just give it to me, which was always doubtful,” she said of the May 2 gathering.
Posted by: TakeFive | October 30, 2008 at 10:56 AM
SHE IS FULL OF IT. THE TRUMP COMPANY KNOWS WHERE THEIR LEGAL PROPERTY LINES ARE AND ALSO THE ramifications of a breach of the line. and even if they did'nt and were stupid enough to rip out her fence does she really think she could take on the don?????
Posted by: mike | October 30, 2008 at 12:01 PM
Why is this news worth the time of LA Land readers? Let me know.
Posted by: Daily Jacket | October 30, 2008 at 12:05 PM
Yeah, combover is a real tough guy when it comes to widows, orphans, etc.
Where's blowhard boy gonna get his next match, the day care center or the rest home?
Posted by: mbob | October 30, 2008 at 12:20 PM
so, how much land did she lose?
6 inches? 50 feet?
not knowing makes the article crap, got that author?
Posted by: dudeman1961 | October 30, 2008 at 12:21 PM
He's just still pissed because the Scots laughed at him.
Posted by: Uncle Billy, PV Heavy | October 30, 2008 at 12:24 PM
Well one of the rich people had to win...
Posted by: Jonah1979 | October 30, 2008 at 01:22 PM
Isn't that a landslide area? What happens to property lines when the land moves?
Posted by: Grace | October 30, 2008 at 03:16 PM
Daily Jacket,
I'm not sure this story is worthy of the time of LA Land readers, but it serves as a useful lesson to all land owners and potential land owners not to assume that existing fences and landscaping define a property's boundaries.
Posted by: Dougmc | October 30, 2008 at 03:32 PM