A New Jersey homeowner has sued local and state officials after a towering 150-year-old oak tree on her property was cut down — a removal she says was carried out unlawfully.
Lenora Pascuzzo, who lives in Hackensack, just outside New York City, claims municipal officials and others entered her land without permission and destroyed the landmark tree.
According to the lawsuit, a contractor working on landscaping at a neighboring school crossed a “visible property boundary and fence line” on August 12, 2025, moving roughly 40 feet onto Pascuzzo’s property before cutting down what the complaint describes as a “unique, irreplaceable, and historically significant oak tree.”
“In a matter of hours, Defendants destroyed what nature required approximately one hundred fifty years to create,” the lawsuit says.
The complaint names multiple city and state agencies as defendants, along with Fanny Meyer Hillers School and Rich Tree Service.
The oak was believed to stand about 80 feet tall, and Pascuzzo’s attorneys argue that no tree currently available on the commercial market could replace it in size, character or value.
Beyond the loss of curb appeal, the lawsuit contends the removal has left parts of Pascuzzo’s home more exposed to the elements and is expected to drive up cooling costs.
Her legal team also says the tree provided broader environmental benefits, including improved air quality, shade-driven temperature control and habitat for local wildlife.
A New Jersey woman has claimed that a beautiful oak tree was wrongfully cut down on her property
Lenora Pascuzzo’s lawyers have alleged that a contractor crossed a ‘visible property boundary and fence line’ to chop the tree
The lawsuit has claimed that the oak tree provided many benefits to the home, including shade that decreased energy bills, an aesthetic appeal and privacy
Her attorney, Christopher Karounos, told the Daily Mail in a statement that this case was about ‘far more than the loss of a tree.
‘It is about respecting private property and holding public entities accountable when they fail to do so.’
‘The law doesn’t give anyone—especially the government—the right to trespass first and ask questions later,’ he continued.
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‘Before destroying something that took a century and a half to grow, the least anyone should do is make sure it belongs to them.’
Karounos has argued that the case demonstrates the importance of property rights and accused the Hackensack city government of violating Pascuzzo’s rights.
‘You cannot simply replace a tree like this with a new sapling. It provided shade, privacy, beauty, environmental benefits, and was a defining feature of our client’s home,’ Karounos said.
The lawsuit claims trespassing, destruction of real property interests, negligence and reckless disregard.
The lawsuit alleges that without the tree, Pascuzzo’s home has lost its aesthetic appeal and property value
Pascuzzo’s legal team believe that the tree was about 150 years old and 80 feet tall
The lawsuit alleges that the massive tree was cut down when contractors were landscaping at Fanny Meyer Hillers School, pictured above
Pascuzzo is seeking damages for loss in property value, restoration, replacement and loss of environmental benefits.
The Fanny Meyer Hillers School is located next to Pascuzzo’s home. Satellite images show shrubbery separating her property from the elementary school.
Despite the lawsuit’s claims, Mayor Caseen Gaines told the Daily Mail in a statement that the city ‘did not have any municipal employees doing tree maintenance during or around the time and location alleged in the lawsuit.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Rich Tree Service and Fanny Meyer Hillers School for comment.
