Hollywood star Chris Pine finds himself embroiled in an escalating legal battle with his neighbor, Helen Yu, as the trespass case between them develops. The actor, who recently made his directorial debut with Poolman in 2023, is facing resistance from Yu as he seeks to postpone their upcoming court date scheduled for November, according to The Blast.
The dispute, which began in 2022, centers around Pine’s installation of Ficus Benjamina trees on his property. Per documents obtained by In Touch, Yu, a prominent entertainment attorney, alleges that these trees have caused significant damage to her adjacent property. In her initial lawsuit, Yu claimed the trees’ invasive root systems led to “substantial and ongoing damage to [Helen’s home], including cracking of walls and substantial damages to the plumbing and pipes, pool, pool deck, and other areas in or around [Helen’s home].”
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Pine’s legal team, led by attorney Thomas Brown, has recently filed a motion for continuance, seeking to move the November 18 trial date to April 2025. Brown argues that his involvement in two other long-standing cases will leave him inadequately prepared for Pine’s trial. Yu countered in court documents, stating, “Defendants’ application to continue the trial date is not well taken and should be denied. It’s just a ploy to avoid trial and to avoid addressing the problem that necessitated the filing of this case.”
This request for postponement has not been well-received by Yu, who points out that the trial date has already been rescheduled three times. According to court documents, Yu stated, “It was continued to April 2, 2024. It was continued again to August 5, 2024. And it was continued a third time to November 18, 2024.”
The case has taken several twists since its inception. While Yu sued Pine for trespass, nuisance, and negligence, the actor responded by countersuing Yu, reported The Blast. Pine claims that it is Yu’s fence that encroaches on his property line, causing him to lose significant land. Pine purchased his three-bedroom, three-bathroom, 2,205-square-foot home in 2010 for $3 million and asserts that Yu’s fence has unfairly reduced his property size.
In his countersuit, Pine demands the removal of Yu’s fence. However, Yu’s legal team argues that “The hardship that [Helen] would suffer if forced to remove improvements from the disputed property would be greatly disproportionate to any hardship that [Chris] would suffer if the improvements are permitted to remain.”
As the November trial date approaches, both parties are gearing up for a contentious legal showdown. Pine’s team insists that without the requested continuance, they will be “forced to conduct a trial wholly unprepared” via The Blast. They also note that Pine is scheduled for deposition in the coming weeks, adding another layer of complexity to the case’s timeline.
Yu, however, remains steadfast in her opposition to any further delays. Her legal team argues that Pine and his attorneys have had ample time to prepare and depose witnesses. They also point out that Pine has other lawyers working on the case, suggesting that Brown’s unavailability should not be grounds for postponement.
The judge’s decision on whether to grant this fourth continuance will be crucial in determining the course of the lawsuit. If denied, Pine and his team will need to quickly prepare for the November trial, potentially at a disadvantage without their lead attorney present.
