The Millstone Times July 2020

REAL ESTATE

THE COMPLETE HANDYMAN HOME IMPROVEMENTS ATTENTION REALTORS: IT MAKES SENSE TO ADVERTISE HERE! THE MILLSTONE TIMES IS THE PREMIER NEWS SOURCE IN YOUR TARGET AREA. • We are not a zoned publication- Means more homes for less! • The competition is fierce, and you need to stand out. • Let our readers Get To Know and Trust You. • Show our readers that you will market their homes. • Advertising here includes many other marketing services every month such as; social media, email marketing, online ads. WE DIRECT OUR READERS TO YOUR ONLINE LISTINGS

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EJ Kuncken Owner, Keystone Contracting, LLC 205 Route 9 North Freehold NJ 07728 (732) 637-8300 www.Keystone-Contracting-LLC.com

“The Millstone Times has been great advertising for my business. It has helped my business build my brand in Home Improvement and get many new customers. I feel comfortable recommending The Millstone Times to other business owners."

Serving Monmouth, Mercer and Middlesex County “No JobToo Big Or Too Small”

All types of repairs and installations, Finished Basements, Bathrooms, Kitchens, etc.

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BobYacovelli • 732-735-1540

Call Your Insurance Company First, A Lesson Learned A local resident learned a costly lesson when her neighbor decided to cut down trees on her property without her permission. She lives in a neighborhood of single-family houses in a nearby county with a thick buffer of trees separating her from her neighbors. The rear part of her property, at one time, was over 100 feet of very thick trees. Throughout the years, with her permission, the neighbor was allowed to trim some of the trees. About ten years ago, he hired a tree company who went over and above just trimming. They cut sections out of the trees leaving big gaping holes and taking away most of her privacy. She could see right through to his property and the street he lived on. He swore that he would plant large arborvitaes to reassure her privacy, but he never did. In 2018, she was awakened to the sound of loud cutting and chipping noises. Her neighbor was cutting down most of her trees. She went over and begged him to stop. He was on her property. He yelled back that it was his property and they kept cutting. She called the police four times. They told her it wasn’t illegal to cut down trees. They told her to go to the local municipal building and talk to code enforcement and the shade tree commission where they asked to see her survey; which did not have trees on it, only measurements. With the municipal building and the police failing to help her, she hired a lawyer. The lawyer advised her that she could file the suit herself but she felt she needed representation. What he didn’t tell her was that she might have been able to use her insurance company to help settle this. The first hearing in court was a pretrial to determine if the case was worthy to go to trial. She was unable to attend the pretrial. Her lawyer represented her. The neighbor was charged with two charges. 1. Intentional acts - the court decided her neighbor was guilty of trespassing, vandalism and destruction of property, etc. because she was harmed. Their insurance company refused to represent them. 2. Indemnity - Somehow because she was suing him, the opposite party’s lawyers convinced the judge that he needed to be indemnified and paid for their legal fees by his Insurance Company because he was sued and harmed. She was finally awarded $12,500 and had to pay 4,000 out of her own pocket for her lawyer. The perpetrator that cut the trees down would have his legal fees and the amount awarded to her paid by his insurance company. To date, his insurance company is still in negotiations about whether to pay 11,000 back to him. The point being that if she had been advised by her attorney thoroughly, she would have known that an option would have been that she could have first called her insurance company and let them handle the case, most likely at no cost to her. She found this out after she filed to sue and her insurance company could not represent her because she had hired a lawyer and he became her legal representative. At a Business Association Meeting she found this information out that her insurance company may have covered her. She was advised to call her insurance company first and that they deal with these situations all the time. Unfortunately for her, it was too late and she ended up having to pay for the attorney fees out of her pocket. If something similar happens to you, call your insurance company first!

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