Judge to Rule on Maine Property Boundary Dispute

A Maine judge will hear arguments in a property boundary dispute that resulted in a Dover-Foxcroft garage being cut in half last year.

Gabriel Brawn removed half of the building that he believed was on his land using a Sawzall after the dispute reached a boiling point after Memorial Day, the Bangor Daily News reported.

The dispute began in April 2020 when the Brawns placed wood chips between their property and a retaining wall on the Ritters’ lot, according to a complaint that demanded about $450,000 in punitive damages from the Brawns.

After the lawsuit was filed, Superior Court Justice William Anderson ordered the Brawns to set aside $150,000 to pay future damages, as it was likely the Ritters would prevail at trial.

Brawn is accused of dismantling the portion of the garage that he believed sat on his property and leaving the debris on his neighbors land.

The Ritters sued Brawn and his wife in Piscataquis County Superior Court in August. The case is expected to slowly make its way through Piscataquis County Superior Court in Dover-Foxcroft as the system has prioritized criminal cases in the pandemic.

Gabriel Brawn, representing himself and his wife in the lawsuit, said Tuesday that he would have liked “to have seen a better resolution (to the dispute) myself.”