Park City residents were left divided after a property dispute in which an angry resident filed a lawsuit against his neighbors’ dogs.
Matthew Prince, co-founder of the technology company Cloudflare, had originally been involved in a lawsuit over a rock wall over 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, alleging that the two are “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 have denied the allegations, saying the dogs are well-behaved, polite and non-aggressive. They also say the lawsuits are retaliation after they appealed the city’s approval of their plans to build a mansion overlooking the city’s historic downtown.
While the two pursue each other with litigation, locals have been divided in their support for the dogs.
Matthew Prince, co-founder of technology company Cloudflare, seen here with his wife Tatiana, had originally been involved in a lawsuit over a rock wall over a property line with Eric and Susan Hermann.
Prince filed a lawsuit 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 appeal and claim they are now being harassed by the billionaire couple.
Neighbors Eric Hermann and Susan Fredston-Hermann argue that their proposal violates zoning laws, a claim that eight other people in the neighborhood have supported.
According to the lawsuit, dogs weighing more than 100 pounds have also been barking loudly and relieving themselves on Prince’s property.
Hermann said the Wall Street Journal: “If something like that ever happened, of course we would pick up dog poop,” adding that he had never seen his dogs urinate there.
He also told the outlet that he believes the lawsuit against his beloved canines amounts to harassment.
Price said the two dogs had threatened her 82-year-old mother and “barked, growled and attacked” her little boy.
The Hermanns said they were never asked to leash their dogs before the performance and that “the dogs have had no interaction with the Princes.”
Since the fight broke out over the two dogs, locals have supported Sasha and Mocha, making stickers that say ‘Free Sasha and Mocha.’
The outlet said the stickers have started appearing on billboards, fence posts and car bumpers across 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, saying: “They don’t want you around their people.”
Prince claims the rock wall (circled) crosses the property line between the lot he purchased a few weeks ago and the lot next door. The Hermanns say he purposely bought the lot a few weeks ago out of spite.
The Cloudflare kingpin, who is worth an estimated $3.4 billion, moved to Park City from the Bay Area after the pandemic.
The rock wall that started it all belongs to Eric, 71, and Susan, 68, and is part of their $11.5 million mansion.
They claim a rock wall coming from their house crosses the property line into the vacant lot Prince bought last March.
The couple have become two of Prince’s fiercest adversaries in an ongoing ownership fight, and filed an appeal earlier this year after Prince received approval. They argue that his proposal violates zoning laws, a claim that eight other people in the neighborhood, including some friends, have supported.
They also say he intentionally bought 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 couple’s plans to demolish two houses on the hill where the Hermanns live to make way for their new home, saying they would be subject to a series of conditions. and a design review.
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. However, the Hermanns were not convinced and filed an appeal on March 1 seeking to reverse the approval of the plans for the Prince’s home.
The couple says the project is not in line with local development rules, and the planning commission failed to take into account the impacts the house will have by failing to properly enforce the city’s development code.
The wall belongs to Hermanns, ages 71 and 68, who also own the $11.5 million mansion. The couple have thus become two of Prince’s fiercest adversaries in an ongoing ownership struggle.
Price married his wife in 2017, with the couple since purchasing local publication Park Record. The neighborhood’s appeal will be reviewed by Park City’s three-member appeal panel on April 30, after which the matter will be resolved.
Residents have complained that the home’s plans are too large and violate codes for a maximum floor area of 3,500 square feet.
It would also have an interior height of 53.5 feet, which is 18.5 feet higher than officials believe is allowed, according to a commission report.
The Hermanns wrote in a summary: “It will rise above the old town, shining at night and reflecting the morning sun onto the rest of the old town.”
The Princes argued that the city had miscalculated by stating that only 3,475 square feet would be used as the “building footprint” above ground.
Total living space would amount to 7,351 feet and the interior would measure 35 feet.
Neighbor Pat Sweeney said, “All you’re doing is replacing a house with a new one.”
Prince said the relationship between him and the Hermanns began in 2022 when he and his wife Tatiana came to their house to “talk about their plans.”
After learning that the Hermanns owned an undeveloped lot next to it, Prince inquired and offered to pay one and a half times the market price.
The Hermanns refused and acknowledged their Bernese’s behavior in a text message: “Next time we will manage their arrival so the dogs are comfortable and not scary.”
Hermann told the newspaper it was a joke, while Prince said they had been aggressive.
The neighborhood’s appeal will be reviewed by Park City’s three-member appeals panel on April 30, after which the matter will be resolved one way or another.
