The billionaire CEO of a successful technology company has accused neighbors of his two Bernese mountain dogs, Sasha and Mocha, of barking loudly and relieving themselves on his property at a luxury ski resort in Utah. suing residents.
Last month, Matthew Prince, who co-founded the $30 billion cybersecurity company Cloudflare and amassed a $3.1 billion fortune, told Eric Herman and his wife, Susan Fredston Herman, that their dog would become part of the family. He filed a lawsuit alleging that he “approached, chased, and harassed me in an aggressive manner.” Guests were walking along the path behind the Hermann family compound.
Prince’s family and guests are allowed to use the trail under an easement. According to the Wall Street Journal.
of Lawsuit filed by Prince in Utah state court He claimed the dogs, both weighing more than 100 pounds, barked loudly and pooped and urinated on his property “outside the permitted use of the trail easement.”
Mr Prince said Sasha and Moka were allowed to run without a leash and claimed their 82-year-old mother was being harassed by the canines.
The dogs also “barked, growled and lunged” at Prince’s young daughter, who was in a stroller, causing her to burst into tears, according to court filings.
“I understand that we’re a bunch of rich bastards, but in a way I’m also a father and I have to protect my daughter,” Prince told the Journal.
The Hellmans denied the claims, insisting that Sasha and Moka were “polite, well-mannered and non-aggressive.”
The couple told the newspaper they were never asked to put a leash on their dog and would have gladly done so had they been asked to do so before filing the lawsuit.
“If something like that happened, of course we’d pick up dog poop,” said Park City resident and millionaire Herrmann, one of the town’s most vocal supporters of Prince’s plans to build the 11,000 square meter site. He is one of the people who opposed it. Foot Mansion on a nearby hill.
The home Prince hopes to build will include a pool and an “attached” building.
The couple told the Journal: “As far as we know, the dogs had no interaction with the princes.”
Prince, 49, admitted that opposition to the Herman family’s plans motivated his decision to file the lawsuit.
The lawsuit against the Hellmans prompted local residents to rally behind the Hellmans. “Save Sasha and Moka” stickers have been seen all over Park City, and residents have condemned Prince while expressing support for the dogs online.
“He may be the richest man in Utah, but [I’m] I’m starting to believe he’s also the ‘most hated man in Park City,’” one Instagram user wrote on a page featuring Sasha and Moka.
“Unfortunately, money can’t buy empathy, common sense, and civility,” one Instagram user wrote.
Prince has gone to great lengths to get approval for his hillside mansion at 220 King Road in Park City, which has cost taxpayers $64 million to block future development. They would be encroaching on the mountainside directly beneath the small piece of land they had purchased for dollars. According to Bloomberg News.
City officials initially gave Mr. Prince’s plan the green light, but the Hermanns led public opposition and appealed the decision.
They said the home would violate local ordinances that set height and size limits.
Prince unsuccessfully tried to gain support from state legislators to get the mansion approved.
He then bought the twice-weekly local paper the Park Record and allowed its editor, Don Rogers, to live rent-free in one of his properties, according to Bloomberg News.
Park Records has since published several articles that have been positive about Prince’s project.
Prince’s lawyer Bruce Baird accused Prince’s neighbors of trying to “play the victim card.”
The newspaper has reached out to Prince, the Hermans and Don Rogers for comment.
