Park City residents have been divided after a property dispute in which an angry resident took legal action against his neighbor’s dogs.
Matthew Prince, co-founder of technology company Cloudflare, was initially involved in a lawsuit over a rock wall above a property line with Eric and Susan Hermann. The billionaire’s lawyers then filed a lawsuit against Hermann’s two Bernese mountain dogs, Sasha and Mocha, saying they were “vicious and aggressive.”
Prince, who is worth $3.4 billion, also claimed the two dogs “aggressively approached, chased and harassed” him and his family.
Prince told the Wall Street Journal: “I understand that we’re rich assholes, but on some level I’m also a father and I have to protect my daughter.”
The Hermanns denied the allegations, saying the dogs were “well-behaved, polite and non-aggressive.” They also claim the lawsuits are in retaliation for appealing the city’s approval of his plan to build a mansion overlooking the city’s historic center.
As the two sue, residents are divided in their support for the dogs.
Matthew Prince, co-founder of technology company Cloudflare, seen here with his wife Tatiana, was initially engaged in a lawsuit over a rock wall above a property line with Eric and Susan Hermann.
Prince filed a complaint against the couple over the behavior of their Bernese Mountain Dogs, calling them “threatening.” The owners said they had never received such a complaint before the call and claim they are now being harassed by the billionaire couple.
Neighbors Eric Hermann and Susan Fredston-Hermann say his proposal violates zoning laws — a statement eight other neighborhood residents have agreed with.
According to the lawsuit, the dogs weighing more than 100 pounds were also barking loudly and doing their business on Prince’s property.
Hermann told the Wall Street Journal, “If such a thing were to happen, we would of course pick up the dog poop,” adding that he had never seen his dogs urinating there.
He also told the outlet that he believed the lawsuit against his beloved dogs amounted to harassment.
Price said the two dogs threatened her 82-year-old mother and “barked, growled and charged” at her toddler.
The Hermanns said he never asked them to leash their dogs before filing and that “the dogs had no interaction with the princes.”
Since the fight broke out over the two dogs, residents have shown their support for Sasha and Mocha, creating “Free Sasha & Mocha” stickers.
The outlet said the stickers began appearing on signs, fence posts and car bumpers throughout the city.
Blaire Dernach, a local bartender, described the dogs as “big, fluffy and beautiful.”
While neighbor Teri Toelcke, 79, said she was worried about the dogs’ fate: “They don’t want you near theirs.”
Prince says the rock wall (circled) crosses the property line between the land he purchased a few weeks ago and the land next door. The Hermanns say he deliberately bought the land a few weeks ago out of malice.
The Cloudflare mainstay — worth $3.4 billion — moved from the Bay Area to Park City after the pandemic.
The rock face that started it all is owned by Eric, 71, and Susan, 68, and is part of their $11.5 million mansion.
They say a rock wall from their house crosses the property line and leads to the vacant lot Prince purchased last March.
The two men have become two of Prince’s fiercest adversaries in an ongoing real estate fight, filing an appeal earlier this year after Prince received approval. They argue his proposal violates zoning laws — a statement eight other neighborhood residents, including friends, have agreed with.
They also say he deliberately purchased a second piece of land after the first lawsuit so he could file a second one.
In February, the Park City Planning Commission gave preliminary approval to the two men’s plans to raze two houses on the hill where the Hermanns live to make way for their new home, under the pretext that they would be subject to a series conditions and a review of the design.
Conditions include that the home be limited to less than 7,500 square feet, as well as restrictions on lighting to limit the impact on neighbors.
The commission approved the proposed property by a narrow vote of 4 to 3. The Hermanns, however, were not convinced and filed an appeal on March 1 seeking to overturn approval of the prince’s house plans.
The couple claims the project does not comply with local development rules and that the planning commission did not adequately consider the impacts the house will have by failing to properly apply the town’s development code. city.
The wall is owned by Hermanns, 71 and 68, who also own this $11.5 million mansion. The two men have thus emerged as two of Prince’s fiercest adversaries in an ongoing real estate fight.
Price married his wife in 2017, with the couple since purchasing the local publication Park Record. The district’s appeal is scheduled to be heard by Park City’s three-member appeals panel on April 30, after which the case will be resolved.
Residents have complained that the house plans are too large and violate codes of no more than 3,500 square feet.
It would also have an interior height of 53.5 feet, 18.5 feet more than officials say is allowed, according to a commission report.
The Hermanns wrote in a summary: “It will dominate the old town, glow at night and reflect the morning sun onto the rest of the old town. »
The Princes argued that the city miscalculated when it claimed only 3,475 square feet would be used as the surface “building footprint.”
The total living space would be 7,351 feet and the interior would be 35 feet.
Neighbor Pat Sweeney said: “All he does is replace a house with a new house. »
Prince said the relationship between him and the Hermanns began in 2022 when he and his wife Tatiana visited their home to “talk about their plans.”
After learning that the Hermanns owned undeveloped land next to him, Prince inquired and offered to pay one and a half times the market price.
The Hermanns refused and acknowledged the behavior of their Bernese in a text saying: “Next time we will manage your arrival so that the dogs are warm and not frightening.”
Hermann told the newspaper it was a joke, while Prince said they had been aggressive.
The district’s appeal is expected to be heard by Park City’s three-member appeals panel on April 30, after which the matter will be resolved one way or another.
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