An update: Did a Brooklyn couple kill a neighbor's trees for a better view in Maine?

"Nearly five years after the Maine Board of Pesticides Control found that a New York couple had killed a neighbor's trees in Rockport, Maine, to improve their waterfront view, the state Friday approved a settlement that included a $3,000 fine but no admission of guilt."

"They asked their neighbor, Ruth Graham, if they could remove trees from her land outside their rear windows to give them a better view. Graham said no. Then the trees began dying, and the pesticides board determined that Antonson and Hackett were to blame."

"In it, Antonson would still pay $3,000 and deny poisoning the trees, but would acknowledge 'that a court could find that he committed the violations.' The agreement also would not shield the couple, should Graham's family or neighbors sue them."

Nearly five years after Maine's Board of Pesticides Control determined that Brooklyn residents Stephen Antonson and Kathleen Hackett killed their neighbor Ruth Graham's trees in Rockport, Maine, the state approved a settlement requiring a $3,000 fine without any admission of guilt. The couple had requested permission to remove trees blocking their waterfront view, and when denied, the trees subsequently died from poisoning. State law limited the maximum fine to $3,000. The board initially rejected a similar settlement proposal but eventually approved a modified agreement allowing Antonson to acknowledge that a court could find violations while maintaining denial of poisoning. The settlement does not shield the couple from potential civil lawsuits.

Read at Boston.com