The billionaire CEO of a successful tech company is suing his neighbors in a ritzy Utah ski resort, claiming their two Bernese Mountain dogs — Sasha and Mocha — bark loudly and relieve themselves on his property.
Matthew Prince, who amassed a $3.1 billion fortune after co-founding the $30 billion cybersecurity firm Cloudflare, filed suit against Eric Hermann and his wife, Susan Fredston-Hermann, last month alleging that their dogs “aggressively approached, chased and harassed” his family and guests as they walked on a trail behind the Hermanns’ property.
Prince’s family and guests are permitted to use the trail under an easement, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The lawsuit filed by Prince in Utah state court alleged that the dogs, both of which weigh more than 100 pounds, bark loudly and poop and pee on his property “outside the scope of the permissive use of the Trail Easement.”
Sasha and Mocha were allowed to run unleashed, according to Prince, who alleged that his 82-year-old mother was harassed by the canines.
The dogs also “barked, snarled and charged” at Prince’s infant daughter while she was in her stroller, reducing her to tears, it was alleged in the court filing.
“I get that we’re rich assholes, but at some level I’m also a father and I have to protect my daughter,” Prince told The Journal.
The Hermanns denied the claims, insisting that Sasha and Mocha are “well-behaved, polite and nonaggressive.”
The couple told The Journal that they were never asked to put the dogs on a leash and that they would have gladly done so if the request was made prior to the lawsuit’s filing.
“If such a thing might ever occur, we would of course pick up the dog poo,” Hermann, a millionaire resident of Park City who has been one of the town’s most vocal opponents of a plan by Prince to build an 11,000-square-foot mansion on a nearby hill.
The home that Prince wants to build is slated to be equipped with a pool as well as “accessory” buildings.
The couple told The Journal that “to the best of our knowledge, the dogs have had no interaction with the Princes.”
Prince, 49, has acknowledged that the Hermanns’ opposition to his plan was a motivating factor in his decision to file the suit.
The lawsuit against the Hermanns has prompted locals to rally to their side. “Save Sasha and Mocha” stickers are seen all over Park City while residents have expressed their support for the canines online while denouncing Prince.
“He may be the ‘richest man in Utah’ but [I’m] starting to believe he’s also ‘the most hated man in Park City’,” wrote one Instagram user on a page devoted to Sasha and Mocha.
“Too bad that money can’t buy empathy and common sense, nor decency,” the Instagram user wrote.
Prince has gone to great lengths to win approval for his hillside mansion on 220 King Road in Park City, which would encroach onto a mountainside that is located just below a sliver of land that taxpayers bought for $64 million to prevent future development, according to Bloomberg News.
City officials initially greenlighted Prince’s plan, but the Hermanns led public opposition and appealed the decision.
They said the house would violate local ordinances that govern height and size limits.
Prince tried and failed to win the backing of state lawmakers to grant approval for the mansion.
He then bought the Park Record, a twice-weekly local newspaper, and allowed its editor, Don Rogers, to live rent-free in one of his properties, according to Bloomberg News.
Park Record has since run several stories that cast Prince’s project in a positive light.
Prince’s lawyer, Bruce Baird, accused Prince’s neighbors of “trying to play the victim card.”
The Post has sought comment from Prince, the Hermanns and Don Rogers.
