Pet owners file lawsuit over pet cemetery development

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Pet owners with animals buried at the Walden Pond Pet Cemetery in New Hanover County filed a lawsuit against the new owner of the property. That’s according to attorney Gary Shipman.

A judge also issued a temporary restraining order preventing the owner from disturbing any of the pet burial sites. The pet owners said they were outraged in April when they were notified they had 90 days to dig up their pets.

In the suit, the owners allege their contracts state the graves would remain undisturbed. They added that each executed contracts under which they were assigned a specific space in the pet cemetery to buy their pet, with the promise that the graves would remain undisturbed.

Barbara and Jere LeGwin developed Walden Pond Pet Cemetery in 1990 on their property. In 2013, the LeGwins sold the property to Gary and Kathy Wells. The lawsuit alleges the prior owners were under the impression that the Wells would maintain the property as a pet cemetery. The property was conveyed to the Wells pursuant to a recorded map that clearly showed the area and location of the pet cemetery on the property.

A hearing on the Plaintiff’s Motion for a Preliminary Injunction is scheduled for May 15 at 9:30 a.m.

Photo Courtesy of the Star News