Legal battle over for Walden Pond Pet Cemetery

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The legal battle between the owners of Walden Pond Pet Cemetery and people who have pet buried out there is now over.

It began in 2015, when the pet cemetery’s owner, Ricky Coates, notified people that they had 90 days to move their pet’s graves.

The owners sued and eventually won rights to the property.

However, Coates then raised the maintenance fee from around $30 annually to nearly $20 a month.  An attorney for the pet owners says they objected to that increase, so they were preparing for a jury trial.

Attorneys say negotiations then took place for a couple of months after a neighboring property owner came forward and bought the land.

The new property owner then gave the pet owners deeded rights to the cemetery.

The graves will remain in place.

The original case was then dismissed.