A New Jersey homeowner has filed a lawsuit against city and state officials, alleging that a contractor working on a neighboring school property illegally crossed onto her land and cut down a 150-year-old oak tree. The homeowner, Lenora Pascuzzo of Hackensack, claims the "unique, irreplaceable, and historically significant" tree was destroyed on August 12, 2025, after contractors "marched into her garden."
The lawsuit names several city and state agencies, the Fanny Meyer Hillers School, and Rich Tree Service as defendants. According to the suit, the contractors crossed a "visible property boundary and fence line" approximately 40 feet into Pascuzzo's property to remove the oak tree, which was estimated to be 80 feet tall.
Pascuzzo's attorneys argue that the destruction of the tree has impacted the home's aesthetics, exposed it to weather, and will increase cooling costs. The lawsuit also asserts that the tree provided significant environmental benefits, including air quality improvement, temperature moderation, and support for local wildlife. "In a matter of hours, Defendants destroyed what nature required approximately one hundred fifty years to create," the lawsuit states.
Christopher Karounos, Pascuzzo's attorney, emphasized that the case extends beyond the loss of a single tree. "It is about respecting private property and holding public entities accountable when they fail to do so," Karounos said. "The law doesn't give anyone—especially the government—the right to trespass first and ask questions later. Before destroying something that took a century and a half to grow, the least anyone should do is make sure it belongs to them." He further stated that the tree provided shade, privacy, beauty, and environmental benefits that cannot be replicated by a new sapling, accusing the Hackensack city government of violating Pascuzzo's property rights.
The suit claims trespassing, destruction of real property interests, negligence, and reckless disregard. Pascuzzo is seeking damages for the loss in property value, restoration, replacement, and the loss of environmental benefits.
Mayor Caseen Gaines of Hackensack stated that the city had no municipal employees performing tree maintenance at the location and time alleged in the lawsuit. Officials from Rich Tree Service and Fanny Meyer Hillers School have been contacted for comment. The Fanny Meyer Hillers School is adjacent to Pascuzzo's property, with satellite images showing shrubbery between the two lots.