Planet Money

How to fight a squatting goat

May 6, 2023

Melissa Schrock, a neighbor to Burt Banks, shares the quirky tale of a goat pen that encroached on Burt's inherited land. Their friendly discussions turned into a legal showdown, exposing the complexities of property rights. As they delve into the nuances of adverse possession and squatter's rights, both sides recount their experiences in this unusual dispute. The courtroom drama unfolds, revealing not only legal arguments but also emotional ties to the land, leading to an unexpected ruling and a new understanding of neighborly relations.

28:38

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Episode guests

Melissa Schrock

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

The Goat Fence Dispute

3min

Neighborhood Disputes and Goat Tales

2min

Boundaries and Bonds

5min

The Battle for Possession

3min

Land Disputes and Legal Battles

3min

The Goat Pen Dispute

12min

Back in 2005, Burt Banks inherited a plot of old family land in Delaware. But when it came time to sell it, he ran into a problem: his neighbor had a goat pen, and about half of it crossed over onto his property.

Burt asked the goats' owner to move the pen, but when neighborly persuasion failed to get the job done, he changed his strategy. He sued her. And that is when things got complicated.

Protecting private property is one of the fundamental jobs of the American legal system. If you hold a deed saying you own a plot of land, it's your land. End of story. Right?

But, as Burt would soon learn, the law can get really complicated when it comes to determining who actually owns something. And when goats are involved ... anything can happen.

This episode was produced by Willa Rubin and Dylan Sloan and edited by Molly Messick. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Katherine Silva engineered this episode. Jess Jiang is Planet Money's acting executive producer.

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Music: "Fruit Salad," "Keep With It" and "Purple Sun."

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