75-year-old entitled neighbor "Fiona" moves her 20-year-old fence line so she can steal resident's fruit trees, resident pursues legal action: 'Your honor, she claims poverty but built a spite fence to steal fruit'

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Oct 31, 2025 2:00 PM EDT

"Fruit Tree Fiona" had an agenda, but it could very well backfire for her in the end.

This author's 75-year-old neighbor decided after two decades that she wanted control of the author's access to a fruit tree. She claimed that it was technically on her property, but it was never an issue beforehand because she never volunteered to help maintain it. Now, all of a sudden, she decided that she wants to build a fence denoting her property line and claiming said fruit tree as her own.

Now, after years of preserving and maintaining that fruit tree with no problems or complaints from the community, the author may have to give it up to someone who just wants to flex her 75-year-old muscles. Still, he may have some leverage against this lady. The author is considering pursuing legal action since he has plenty of tea on her after having lived with her for years. Keep scrolling below for the full story and for some reactions from several members of this online community.

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  • An older woman wearing a hat and gardening gloves.
    via Unsplash+ (Juani Sanchez)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • "Neighbor steals fruit trees with a tape measure and pettiness"

    TL;DR: 75-year-old neighbor spent 6 months ghosting me, then moved our 20-year-old fence line exactly enough to steal my four fruit trees. Claims she's
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • too poor to pay the $200 she owes me but somehow affords luxury vacations and a spite fence. I'm exploring my legal options and/or petty revenge.
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • My neighbor (75F) - let's call her Fruit Tree Fiona - is a ripe ole bitch. These four fruit trees have been on my side of the fence for 20+ years. Three owners before
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • me enjoyed them. Her late husband was cool with it. Everyone was happy. Trees made fruit. Life was good.
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • Then Fiona gets a new boyfriend (Contractor Craig) and suddenly decides that after two decades, she needs to "correct" the fence line. Not because it's broken. Not
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • because she needs space (she has SEVEN ACRES). Because she looked at my finally fruiting this year trees and thought - "technically these are mine. So I will take".
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • The 6-Month Torture: Starting in April, every few weeks: "Fence starting tomorrow!" Me: "Cool, where exactly? Can I see the survey?" -silence- This went on for MONTHS. I'd ask basic
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • questions and she'd vanish and then claim she doesn't know how to text back, email, or "I don't know why I'm not getting your text" bull . Also, I'm pretty sure California has a good fence neighbor law, she couldn't care less.
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • August: She files a "Corner Record" (basically a surveyor saying "yep that old marker from 1985 is still there" without checking if it's actually RIGHT). Now she's building a fence that:
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • • Grabs all four of my trees • Carves out a weird rectangle that doesn't match ANY of her other fence lines • Leaves the other 99% of her property exactly where it's been for decades
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • I finally reach her (had to call from my work number because she blocked me) and ask for the fence details so we can re-do our irrigation under the trees
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • because I'm not watering her - plants and didn't give a flying fuck. So not sure how I'll get in there now. I also mention the trees were part of why we bought the house. Her response nothing but: "Sounds like you got duped." BY YOU, FIONA. BY YOU.
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • An older woman standing in a greenhouse holding a cup of tea.
    via Unsplash+ (Juani Sanchez)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • This is the same woman who: • Owes me $200 for shared driveway maintenance • Owes another neighbor $200 • Claims she "can't afford it" as a "poor old woman"
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • . • Takes luxury vacations every other month and let's us know "just got back from Europe/Tahoe/Disney World" • Is currently funding the fence rebuild
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • • Throws packages around on our shared driveway to hide them . • Opens packages that are not hers and goes "whoops"
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • • She had a cat that just d at our house because she refused to take it to the vet "I want it to on my pasture" - lady ... she's at our back door looking for food and care.
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • So do I: 1. Get my own survey - If her 40-year-old marker is off by even 6 inches, I'm framing it and hanging it in my window facing her house, but I don't have the money for this... $3k plus.
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • 2. Small claims court for the driveway money - "Your honor, she claims poverty but built a spite fence to steal fruit"
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • 3. Adverse possession research - 20 years of use in California? Probably won't work but I want her sweating
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • 4. The long game - When those trees need trimming and branches hang over MY side of the new fence? Asymmetrical haircuts for everyone. At 6 AM. With a loud chainsaw.
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • 5. Aggressive leaf collection Any leaves that blow onto "my" side? I'm collecting them. Saturday mornings. Loudest leaf blower I can find.
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • So - Fence is going up now. My trees that I've watered and pruned for years are suddenly "hers". I've documented everything (photos, videos, timeline). Called the county surveyor (didn't care),
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • enforcement officer (only if she breaks something), the actual surveyor (not their problem and a friend of hers), and now debating hired a property attorney (we'll see).
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • EDIT context: There was a written agreement when we bought the house stating that the fences may not be right BUT neighbor wouldn't want or care about the trees so they are considered our property.
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • She said she was going to move the fence, I asked for details, she didn't give them - only said "you can still keep your trees" - so we left the trees and the above/under ground irrigation alone.
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • Waited 48 hrs until actual construction to let me know that she's actually fencing my trees in and moving the fence ON the property line - not offset. CA law requires mutual agreement on property fences. There was none.
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • I don't have money to spare so I've just thrown up my hands and want to annoy her. Don't worry I'll "get over it".
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • An older woman wearing a green hat and apron.
    via Unsplash+ (Juani Sanchez)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 3daycondor • 18h ago You need a lawyer and a survey. I don't see any other options really.
    via apieceoflenzmind
  • Southern-Inside5... 16h ago • Didn't your title company require a survey when you bought the property? You should already have a survey and title insurance. Call them, this is why you paid for it.
    via apieceoflenzmind

  • It's worth acknowledging that while the resident may not deserve access to that fruit tree, his work preserving and maintaining it over the years should, at the very least, count for something. Fiona was even able to reap the benefits of that work by having some of the fruit. There totally could have been a mutually beneficial solution, but because Fiona was so arrogant and obnoxious, she deserves a taste of that same energy.

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suburbs neighborhood neighborhood-drama neighborhood-stories petty revenge entitled people karma lawsuit tree property line entitled people
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