{
  "id": 17583798,
  "title": "Neighbours demand $30,000 for land; court rules Delaware couple owns it",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/neighbours-demand-30-000-for-land-court-rules-delaware-couple-owns-it",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-01T10:38:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/a-delaware-couple-kept-a-fence-and-garden-on-disputed-land-for-more-than-20-years-new-neighbours-demanded-30000-or-removal-but-an-october-30-court-ruled-the-couple-owned-the-strip-including-the-unfenced-planter/articleshow/135421666.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Delaware couple, Joseph W C Murray Jr and Danielle Murray, who have lived in Newark since 1998, have won a court battle against neighboring landowners who demanded $30,000 for the land the Murrays had occupied for over two decades. The dispute arose when a survey revealed that the Murrays' fence extended into the neighboring property by nearly nine feet. The Preradovic family, who purchased the adjacent house in December 2022, offered the Murrays three options: pay $30,000 for the disputed land, move the fence to the correct boundary, or remove it entirely. The Murrays refused these terms, citing their long-term use of the space and the fact that they had maintained it throughout the period. The Murrays proposed alternative solutions, such as sharing the cost of changing the property documents or renting the land for $1,500 per year. After multiple attempts to resolve the matter, the Preradovics rejected the offers and took the case to court. The Delaware Court of Chancery ruled in favor of the Murrays, granting them ownership of the disputed land, including a garden area, through the legal principle of adverse possession. The court found that the Murrays had met the requirements for adverse possession, including continuous, open, exclusive, and actual possession for at least 20 years. The decision was based on evidence of the Murrays' care and maintenance of the disputed land over the years, despite some occasional overgrowth. The court emphasized that the fence, planter, and grass strip had effectively functioned as one part of the Murrays' property.",
  "summary": "A Delaware couple who maintained a fence and garden for more than 20 years won a property dispute after their new neighbours demanded $30,000 to let them keep the land. The neighbours claimed the fence crossed the legal boundary, but an October 30 court ruling recognised the couple's ownership of the entire disputed strip, including an unfenced garden planter, through adverse possession.",
  "key_points": [
    "Delaware couple Joseph and Danielle Murray owned land for 20+ years",
    "Preradovic family demanded $30,000 for disputed land",
    "Delaware Court of Chancery ruled in favor of Murrays through adverse possession"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}