Two feuding British couples, who have been fighting a legal battle for 14 years, recently appeared in the London High Court for a court bill ruling.
In 2012, Philip and Denise New were sued by their next-door neighbors, Steve and Karen Gibson, over a seemingly minor dispute over a property encroachment.
Over the years, it escalated into an all-out war involving disparaging music videos and the alleged destruction of an ornamental squirrel.
Highlights
- A 14-year-old legal battle between two neighboring families has finally ended in a six-figure court bill.
- An appeal to the High Court backfired for the losing party, as the judge increased the total amount payable for legal fees by more than $50,000.
- The losing party was initially sued over a minor property trespass, but later got accused of destroying a squirrel post of “enormous sentimental value.”
Now, it has cost the losing party, the News, almost £150,000 ($201,450) in court bills.
A county court judge previously described the “wretched” conflict between the neighbors as “unusually disproportionate, difficult, and frustrating.”
The neighborly feud first started over the replacement of fence panels
Image credits: Randy Fath/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
The News and the Gibsons live in adjacent semi-detached properties in Thundersley, Essex, with their gardens separated by a wooden fence.
The News bought their portion in 2006. The Gibsons inherited theirs from Karen’s parents and moved in permanently in 2011.
Problems started when Philip replaced some fence panels between the two properties. The Gibsons complained that it was in the wrong place, not in a straight line, and trespassed on their property by 6 inches.
Initially, the two families chose to settle their differences outside court and appointed an independent surveyor in 2015 to determine the boundary line.
However, the News allegedly ignored the surveyor’s decision and sought a second opinion, prompting the Gibsons to sue in 2018.
In 2021, the court finally ruled on the case in the Gibsons’ favor, declaring the first surveyor’s decision to be accurate.
The News’ appeal to reduce their six-figure court bill completely backfired
Image credits: Google Street View
After multiple appeals from the News were denied, the case eventually moved on to Southend County Court under Judge Robert Duddridge to determine how much the Gibsons were due.
In 2025, the News were ordered to pay the Gibsons £13,305 ($17,867) in combined damages and interest, and handed a court bill of around £120,000 ($161,142).
Undeterred, the News soon launched a High Court appeal, arguing that the amount they were asked to pay was too high and should be reduced so their court bill ruling could be overturned.
Image credits: Sasun Bughdaryan/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
However, things didn’t go in the News’ favor, as the amount they owed was hiked even further.
On July 31, 2026, the court ruled to reduce the damages amount by only £700 ($940), but the News were handed a further £19,000 ($25,515) as a court bill after finding in favor of the Gibsons “in substance and reality.”
Justice Nicholas Thompsell said that a £700 reduction did not justify overturning a six-figure court bill, bringing the News’ combined total expenses to over £150,000 ($201,450).
Steve Gibson accused Philip New of removing a squirrel post of “enormous sentimental value”
Image credits: Gary Fultz/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
In the proceedings over the years, Steve Gibson told the court that their interaction with the News had become “hostile” after their early failed appeals.
Steve also accused Philip New of removing a squirrel ornament from a post on the Gibson property, then removing the post itself with his hands and a mallet.
He said that Karen’s parents had built the post, and he had bought the squirrel as a gift for his wife, making them both objects of “enormous sentimental value.”
The absence of the post also made it impossible for the Gibsons to bolt their gate shut, Steve said.
During the damage assessment, Judge Duddridge rejected the Gibsons’ claim to have lost a “substantial” part of the garden due to the News’ trespass.
However, he also rejected the News’ claim that they removed the squirrel post because they deemed it too dangerous or they believed it was on their property.
“In my judgment, it was highly unreasonable for the defendants to remove the ornamental squirrel and the squirrel post at the time and in the manner they did,” the judge said.
The News were also accused of indirectly humiliating the Gibsons
Image credits: Casey C/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
The News were also accused of insulting the Gibsons in their self-made songs uploaded to their YouTube and Facebook pages, titled Neighbors and Magic Garden.
Both songs included explicit lyrics and described unsavory acts being done to seemingly teach a lesson to “bad neighbors.”
“Pi** in their garden, till it’s quite late, when they’re asleep, blow up their gate,” read one set of lyrics from Neighbors.
“The song Magic Garden describes somebody who uses walking sticks and purports to be in pain when out in public, but throws their sticks away and is miraculously pain-free when in their garden, and is committing benefits fraud,” Judge Duddridge read out during one court session.
Steve Gibson, who has a rare disability affecting his bones, found the songs “upsetting, hurtful, and hateful.”
Judge Duddrige said that while the songs did not mention the Gibsons and were not directly sent to them, he found enough evidence that they were exposing the couple “to ridicule, humiliation and embarrassment.”
“Their content is offensive and defamatory,” the judge said. “It aggravated the unpleasantness, emotional upset, and mental health issues caused by this dispute.”
"Only the lawyer will win." The internet reacted to the neighbors' 14-year-old property dispute
