Neighbors opposing Matthew Prince’s Mansion face second lawsuit in two weeks

Red: The lot Matthew Prince hopes to build his mansion on. Blue: Erik Hermanns existing home lot. Green: New lot alleging a retainaing wall on the Hermanns property encrouces on Photo: Summit County GIS

On April 5, Matthew Prince's legal team filed a second lawsuit against the Hermanns, this time for an alleged land encroachment issue on a .17 acre lot listed at $7,900,000 and purchased by the Princes in late March

PARK CITY, Utah — Bruce Baird, a real estate attorney and member of the legal team representing Matthew Prince, who has been described by the Salt Lake Tribune as a “tenacious bulldog for deep-pocketed developers,” filed the second lawsuit in just over two weeks against Matthew Prince’s neighbors Eric and Susan Hermann. Baird said that he has made a career by working on controversial land deals that he considers interesting projects and has made headlines locally for his legal work assisting Hideout’s annexation of 350 acres of Summit County land into its boundaries.

The Hermanns are part of a group currently appealing the split Planning Commissions vote to approve Prince’s new mansion that required several zoning changes and special permits to be built.

On March 18, Baird, one of three attorneys for the Princes, filed the first lawsuit against the Hermanns claiming their ‘menacing’ dogs have created conditions where the plaintiffs cannot use, and enjoy, their property to its fullest extent, and as they wish, because the large dogs are aggressive toward people. The suit seeks damages for trespassing, private nuisance and breach of the trail easement agreement. Baird told TownLift the Hermann’s dogs have been an issue for a long time but until recently the issue had not reached a level where legal action was needed.

On April 5, Baird and the legal team filed a second lawsuit against the Hermanns, this time for an alleged land encroachment issue on a .17 acre lot listed at $7,900,000 that was purchased by the Princes in late March. The suit claims a retaining wall on the Hermann’s property encroaches on the plaintiffs property and seeks damages against the Hermanns for trespass, attorney fees and injunctive relief.

Baird said that his clients purchased the 209 Norfolk Ave. property as a backup in-case they are unable to build on the 220 King road property. After purchasing the land they did a survey and found the retaining wall encroachment. Baird said this is a simple lawsuit and standard procedure where ” if you find an encroachment you do something about it. This is what any landowner would do in this situation.”

Video tour of the 209 Norfolk Ave Property

Baird serving as a spokes person for the Princes said “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar” implying that while yes this is a lawsuit against the Hermanns who are appealing the Princes home build on 220 King Road, that the two are coincidental and not caused by each other. He also said there are no active or pending lawsuits against any of the other 8 co-appellants that he is aware of.

Eric Hermann shared in a statement to KPCW, “Last month, we and 8 co-appellants filed an appeal against the approval of Matthew Prince’s massive “mansion” in Old Town. Within days, he filed a civil complaint against our dogs and installed video cameras on the easement across his property to the trail system. Now, he has just purchased a multi-million dollar vacant lot next to us and today filed (no joke) a civil complaint about a rock wall which allegedly encroaches on his new property by… several inches for maybe 6 feet. (The wall has not been touched since we have owned the property and we had no idea until today about a possible multi-inch encroachment.) Does anyone see a connection between this and the appeal? We have lived in peace with our neighbors since we purchased our home in 2006. The level of harassment we are now experiencing is astonishing.”

Matthew Prince is richest man in Utah ( 3.4 B) according to Forbes and the owner of the Park Record newspaper.

The neighborhood appeal of Prince’s home is set for review by Park City’s three member appeal panel on April 30.