After years of litigation, Patricia Richardson finally settled with T-Mobile over an “illegal” cell tower in her backyard, with the carrier finally backing down and removing its equipment, reported The Virginian-Pilot. “A little homeowner goes up against a major corporation,” is how Richardson described her fight.
The story began with a legal Dominion Energy power pole that sits on the Richardson’s property in Norfolk. All was quiet for about 55 years since the utility owned an easement on the land since 1958.
In 2001, a cell phone provider, which was eventually bought by T-Mobile, struck a deal with Dominion to erect cellular broadcasting equipment on the pole without making a deal with the landowners for access. When the Richardsons purchased the property in 2004, they didn’t make an issue of the antenna, until Dominion technicians began trespassing on their property and adding new equipment to the pole.
The Richardsons approached T-Mobile with their concerns but were ignored, so they tried to take the carrier to court in 2014. The case was dismissed. The couple pushed forward and in 2015, sued again, alleging “unjust enrichment” – that T-Mobile was profiting off of their property – and sought $4 million in compensation and the removal of the equipment, reported the Pilot. The company quietly settled with the Richardsons early this year and the cellular equipment has been removed from the pole.
“It took me a long time, and it was a long battle, but I had to stick it out,” Richardson said.
July 16, 2018
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