Nantucket homeowner lists property for $10M after chopping down neighbor's 50-year-old trees to create ‘sweeping' ocean views: lawsuit
Patricia Belford claims her neighbor, Jonathan Jacoby, trespassed onto her property in February and leveled 16 towering cedar, cherry, and Leyland cypress trees – gutting her property's charm and value to enhance the views from the upper level of his home.
Months later, Jacoby put the four-bedroom, three-bath Massachusetts house at 3 Tautemo Way on the market for $9.975 million, touting the endless blue horizon, a selling point notably absent from the property's previous listing, according to the Nantucket Superior Court lawsuit filed on June 23.
Advertisement
4 Aerial view of the feuding Nantucket houses near the ocean.
LINK MLS
A prior listing showed the .46-acre property sold for $1.825 million — $30,000 over the asking price.
'The way I feel is that I am confident once all of the facts and evidence have been presented, that justice will be served,' Matt Erisman, Belford's property manager, told the Nantucket Current.
Advertisement
'However, much of what has been taken from the Belfords is irreplaceable, and it's sickening.'
The 30-foot brushes, planted by the Belford family in the 1970s and carefully maintained since, stood just beyond the shared boundary with the alleged vandal's property, creating a natural barrier along the roadway that provided shade, aesthetic appeal, privacy, reduced noise, the filing states.
4 Cut tree stumps and branches in a yard pictured in the lawsuit.
Superior Court – Nantucket
Erisman discovered the alleged arbor assault when he spotted the savaged trunks and Jacoby's former landscaper, Krasimir Kirilov, clearing away debris from the 1 Tautemo Way home.
Advertisement
Kirilov later told police that Jacoby personally hacked down the trees and hired him to haul away the wreckage – with the property owner's supposed permission, the suit alleges.
'I was just about to complete the cleanup when the caretaker Matt came to the property, and at that moment I realized he was not aware of the cleanup work I was doing,' the shaken gardener said in a March 11 statement to the Nantucket Police Department.
4 A picture of Cut down tree stumps and surrounding debris included in the suit.
Superior Court – Nantucket
'I was surprised to find that out, and I explained what was going on, and he said he had no idea about it.'
Advertisement
Authorities have since launched an investigation into the vegetation massacre, with charges now pending against Jacoby, the local outlet reported.
Nantucket police did not immediately provide information to The Post regarding the case.
4 Trees removed from the yard to create the ocean view.
Superior Court – Nantucket
Belford is seeking over $1.4 million in damages – valuing each mutilated tree at roughly $486,000.
Bay State law punishes anyone who willfully mows down trees on someone else's land without permission by tripling the damages owed.
Jacoby's attorney, Jim Merberg, told The Post that his client had permission to cut down the trees.
'My client is firmly of the belief that he had permission to take down these dead trees,' Merberg said, noting he toppled the evergreens during the day and with 'transparency.'
'He did it in a way a person clearly with permission would do it. It will all get sorted out in court down the road.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Michael Jackson pal Frank Cascio accused of shaking his estate down for $213m
A New Jersey man who once took Michael Jackson into his family home after the 9/11 terror attacks —and called the pop icon his 'second family'— is now being accused of trying to extort $213 million from Jackson's estate. Frank Cascio, 44, has apparently threatened to go public with claims against the singer which he never voiced while Jackson was alive. In a petition filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the Michael Jackson Company and estate co-executors John Branca and John McClain allege that Frank Cascio and unidentified associates are attempting what they describe as a 'civil extortion scheme,' leveraging the threat of sensational accusations to extract massive payouts. 9 The Cascio family with Michael Jackson (top left). Family patriach Dominic Cascio is center (with beard) and his eldest sons Frank and Eddie are pictured top right. Advertisement 9 Michael Jackson with Frank Cascio when he was a young child. @VincentFAmen/X For more than three decades, Cascio – whose father had struck up a friendship with Michael while working at a hotel in New York, leading the 'Beat It' superstar to become a regular visitor to his home and to refer to the Cascios as his second family – was among Jackson's most vocal defenders. In dozens of public statements, TV interviews, and in his own 2011 book, 'My Friend Michael', Cascio praised Jackson in unequivocal terms. The star was twice accused of child abuse during his career, in 1993 and 2003, but settled the first case out of court and was acquitted in the second. Advertisement 'I want to be precise and clear, on the record, so that everyone can read and understand: Michael's love for children was innocent, and it was profoundly misunderstood,' Cascio wrote in the book. He added, 'In all the years that I was close to him, I saw nothing that raised any red flags, not as a child and not as an adult.' Cascio also declared that Jackson had been the victim of false allegations: 'He was being attacked by liars… There was nothing ambiguous about the whole thing. These people were after Michael's money. But he was innocent, and we were going to destroy them in court.' 9 Michael Jackson with Frank Cascio (2nd from right) in London. After growing up with Michael around, Cascio eventually went to work for the star as a personal assistant. PA Images via Getty Images 9 Frank Cascio in 2011 on 'Good Morning America.' Previously he has been very vocal in saying Jackson was completley innocent and never inappropriate around young people, as others have claimed. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Advertisement In a 2005 'ABC Primetime Live' interview, he said: 'If Michael ever laid a finger on me, I would not be in this chair right now.' When asked by Wendy Williams in 2011 if anything inappropriate ever occurred, he replied bluntly, 'Nothing at all. And that's what makes me so upset.' The Cascio family appeared on 'Oprah' in 2009 after Jackson's death to talk about their close bond with the star, how they exchanged Christmas presents and how he even recorded songs in their home studio. Cascio and his brothers insisted, 'never,' when asked if there had been any improprieties by host Oprah Winfrey. One of them explained, 'Michael was a target.' According to the petition, that narrative changed in 2019 after the release of HBO's controversial 'Leaving Neverland' documentary, which featured detailed claims of child abuse against Michael by two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck. Advertisement After that aired, Cascio and his representatives approached the estate seeking a deal to sell personal materials and consult on projects. The estate claims that discussions soon turned into threats, with demands for large sums in exchange for not going public with the allegations. 9 Jackson at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, held less than one week for the 9/11 terror attack. REUTERS 9 Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor at a 30th Anniversary Celebration held for him at Madison Square Garden in New York. CPS/LFI Estate representatives described an unusual meeting at the Sunset Marquis Hotel pool in Los Angeles, where Cascio's camp insisted participants wear only bathing suits 'so that [Jackson's] representatives could not wear a wire to record the conversation.' In January 2020, the estate allegedly agreed to a confidential settlement to protect Jackson's family from further pain. The agreement included payments over five years, strict non-disparagement terms, and a clause requiring all disputes to be handled in private arbitration. However, in July 2024, Cascio's attorney allegedly demanded an additional $213 million, threatening to 'expand the circle of knowledge' to harm the estate's business dealings. According to the lawsuit, in August his lawyer warned that if no payment was made, they would share their claims with the buyer of Jackson's valuable music catalog, the estate claims. 9 Prince Jackson (left), Paris Jackson (center) and Bigi Jackson aka Blanket Jackson (right) at a red carpet opening in 2024. Alan Chapman/9 Michael Jackson with Frank Cascio in an undated picture. YouTube Advertisement 9 Michael Jackson at a press conference announcing his 'This Is It' London residency in 2009. However he died during rehearsals fro the concert series of acute Propofol intoxication. WireImage It is not clear what klind of claims Cascio was threatening to make against Jackson or the estate. When the estate refused, lawyers delivered draft lawsuits containing accusations directly contradicting Cascio's prior statements. The estate quickly initiated arbitration in September 2024, citing breach of contract and civil extortion. Executors say they won't be intimidated into paying. 'Attempts like this to tarnish Michael's memory for financial gain will not succeed,' Branca said. Advertisement Adding another twist, Cascio switched lawyers to Mark Geragos, who had previously defended Jackson on national TV and in his 2013 book 'Mistrial,' declaring Jackson '100 percent innocent.' The estate says Geragos reduced the demand to $44 million but threatened to file a public lawsuit alleging defamation and emotional distress. The petition asks the court to compel arbitration and block any lawsuit, citing the settlement's clause: 'The question of arbitrability is itself a question to be resolved finally by the arbitrator.' Efforts to reach Cascio and his attorney for comment were unsuccessful. Jackson is currently the world's highest grossing dead celebrity, with his estate selling half of the rights to his music catalogue to Sony in 2024 for $600 million.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nantucket man walked into neighbor's yard and cut down 50-year-old trees to improve his ocean view, suit says
A woman on the vacation island of Nantucket is suing her neighbor after he allegedly walked onto her property and cut down several of her trees for a better view of the ocean — and the increased property value that comes with it. The lawsuit accuses Jonathan Jacoby of using a chainsaw to fell 16 of Patricia Belford's nearly 50-year-old cedar, cherry, and Leyland cypress trees. Three weeks after he allegedly cut down the trees, Jacoby listed his home for sale for nearly $10 million, according to the Boston Globe. Listed among the home's features: its "sweeping view of the Atlantic Ocean," according to the complaint. Belford points out in her lawsuit that the ocean vistas were "conspicuously missing from the property's prior listings." A pair of Nantucket neighbors are embroiled in a lawsuit over cut trees and ocean views. Patricia Belford is suing her neighbor, Jonathan Jacoby, for allegedly cutting down her nearly 50-year-old trees. Her lawsuit claims Jacoby cut down the trees to increase the property value on his home. (stock image) (Getty Images) When asked why he destroyed Belford's trees, Jacoby provided a terse response. "I wasn't trespassing, I was clearing out her crappy trees," he told the Boston Globe in a single-line email. The Independent has requested comment from Jacoby's attorney, James Merberg. Many of the "crappy trees" that Jacoby allegedly toppled were more than 30 feet tall. They also provided Belford with "a natural buffer and privacy screen between the Belford home and neighbor's parcels,' the complaint says. Belford filed her suit in the Superior Court in Nantucket. She is alleging negligence, property damage, personal injury, and trespassing. The available court documents have not revealed how much she is asking for in damages. According to the lawsuit, the property damage caused at the house is estimated at more than $486,000. To purchase and transport one 30-foot-tall Leyland cypress — not including planting the tree — it would cost around $22,114, the Boston Globe determined. 'The trees at issue were planted by the Belford family in the 1970s and maintained for nearly five decades,' the lawsuit says. 'Their removal was not only a violation of the Plaintiff's property rights, but also caused lasting damage to the character, value, and privacy of the property.' Belford has also reported the incident to the police. According to the lawsuit, there is "an active and ongoing criminal proceeding" in the Nantucket Police Department related to Jacoby's alleged lumberjack activities. Jacoby's former landscaper, Krasimir Kirilov, reportedly gave a voluntary statement to the Nantucket police concerning the investigation, according to the lawsuit. He told police he knew nothing about the tree cutting. "I was surprised to find that out," the landscaper reportedly said.
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Boston Globe
‘I was clearing out her crappy trees': Nantucket man cut neighbor's trees to enhance his property's ocean view, lawsuit says
'I wasn't trespassing, I was clearing out her crappy trees,' Jacoby said in a one-line email to the Globe Sunday evening. Jacoby's attorney, James Merberg, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Globe. Advertisement Many of the trees that were cut were more than 30-feet tall and served as 'a natural buffer and privacy screen between the Belford home and neighbor's parcels,' according to the lawsuit filed last month in Superior Court in Nantucket. Belford is suing for negligence, property damage, personal injury, and trespassing. Court documents do not specify how much she is seeking in damages. Property damage at 1 Tautemo Way, to date, is estimated at more than $486,000, according to court documents. It would cost $22,114 to buy and transport one 30-foot-tall Leyland cypress, not including planting it, which would require a special contractor, the lawsuit said. Belford's lawyer, on Sunday, said he would not be available to comment on the lawsuit until Monday. Advertisement When Jacoby cut the trees down on or around Feb. 22, his 'actions were calculated to enhance the ocean view from his own residence at 3 Tautemo Way and were carried out with full knowledge that he lacked any legal right to do so,' the lawsuit said. 'The trees at issue were planted by the Belford family in the 1970s and maintained for nearly five decades,' according to the complaint. 'Their removal was not only a violation of the Plaintiff's property rights, but also caused lasting damage to the character, value, and privacy of the property.' According to the lawsuit, 'there is an active and ongoing criminal proceeding related to this conduct' arising from a Nantucket Police Department report. Real estate listings for Jacoby's four-bedroom home, located on nearly half an acre 'on a high spot in sought-after Cisco,' show an asking price of $9,975,000. Court documents show that Jacoby's former landscaper, Krasimir Kirilov, gave a voluntary statement to Nantucket police on March 11. Kirilov told police that Jacoby asked him to help with clean up after Jacoby cut down the trees, according to a copy of the 2-1/2 page statement filed with the lawsuit. 'He explained that he cut trees on both his property and his neighbor's property at 1 Tautemo Way,' Kirilov's handwritten statement said. Kirilov told police he balked at doing work on the neighbor's property but Jacoby told him he had permission. Advertisement When Kirilov was finishing up the work, Belford's property manager showed up. He knew nothing about the tree cutting or clean up, according to the statement. 'I was surprised to find that out,' Kirilov's statement said. Kirilov said he called Jacoby and put him on the phone with the property manager. After they spoke, the property manager told Kirilov he could leave, documents show. Tonya Alanez can be reached at
