girlafraid7
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? CA
I've had a long history with my neighbor demanding me to fix things on my dollar which has finally concluded with her dog getting injured.
About 7 years ago she sent me a letter saying to fix the fence that my dog had damaged "or else". My dad and brother fixed it and never heard anything else about it.
I asked the same neighbor to do something about her tree that was damaging the same fence and was in danger of falling on my house. She hired an arborist that said the tree was perfectly fine. I ended up trimming the dangerous branches, which the neighbor said "looked great" but refused to share the cost. Still the fence was damaged due to her tree.
Well, last week, her dog entered my yard by way of the tree damaged portion of the fence. Luckily, my dog was not in the yard and no damage was done. My husband nailed the fallen board back in and we forgot about it.
Yesterday, the dog entered our yard again by way of the portion of the fence that my dog had damaged 7 years ago. (i had fixed it, but after 7 winters, the fence was ready to be replaced). Their dog was bitten by my dog.
My neighbor promptly came over with a $400 vet bill "so far" that she expects me to cover. She claims her dog entered our yard both time from the portion of the fence that my dog had damaged. This is absolutely untrue, since my husband was the one who repaired it.
My thinking is that the fence is the responsibility of both parties. I have replaced all the other fences in my yard by sharing the cost with the other neighbors. This one has not been replaced because this neighbor expects me to pay the whole cost.
She has threatened legal action if I don't pay for the vet bills. Am I responsible for this since her dog entered my property?
What are my options here?
I've had a long history with my neighbor demanding me to fix things on my dollar which has finally concluded with her dog getting injured.
About 7 years ago she sent me a letter saying to fix the fence that my dog had damaged "or else". My dad and brother fixed it and never heard anything else about it.
I asked the same neighbor to do something about her tree that was damaging the same fence and was in danger of falling on my house. She hired an arborist that said the tree was perfectly fine. I ended up trimming the dangerous branches, which the neighbor said "looked great" but refused to share the cost. Still the fence was damaged due to her tree.
Well, last week, her dog entered my yard by way of the tree damaged portion of the fence. Luckily, my dog was not in the yard and no damage was done. My husband nailed the fallen board back in and we forgot about it.
Yesterday, the dog entered our yard again by way of the portion of the fence that my dog had damaged 7 years ago. (i had fixed it, but after 7 winters, the fence was ready to be replaced). Their dog was bitten by my dog.
My neighbor promptly came over with a $400 vet bill "so far" that she expects me to cover. She claims her dog entered our yard both time from the portion of the fence that my dog had damaged. This is absolutely untrue, since my husband was the one who repaired it.
My thinking is that the fence is the responsibility of both parties. I have replaced all the other fences in my yard by sharing the cost with the other neighbors. This one has not been replaced because this neighbor expects me to pay the whole cost.
She has threatened legal action if I don't pay for the vet bills. Am I responsible for this since her dog entered my property?
What are my options here?