Healthy tree, no liability. Act of God. (That's the legal term for it, not a tribute to my religious beliefs, or any disrespect intended toward Satan.) Dead tree, diseased tree, leaning tree - total liability, as it is designated a dangerous tree by law. The tree's owner can be sued to recover damages. Accordingly, I would NOT expect my neighbor to pay for damage to my house if a perfectly healthy tree on his property fell during a storm. A. I know the law. B. That's what MY insurance is for. Here's an example to consider - would you expect your neighbor to pay your damage if a storm ripped his roof off and dropped it onto your house? Of course not. As long as his house is well constructed and maintained, there was no reason to suspect that his roof would blow off in normal storm conditions. The same holds true for that healthy tree. There is no reason to suspect that a healthy tree will fall during the average hurricane. It cannot be predicted....as is NOT the case with a dead, diseased, or leaning tree. There, you have clear evidence that the tree poses a risk. I'm sure these people would LOVE to have the city pay for their roofs, but that's what their insurance is for.