New Hampshire Car Dealer Incurred Damages from Municipal Sewer Line

A judge has ruled that a Portsmouth, N.H., auto dealership incurred damages caused by a city sewer line running through the property.

The Portsmouth Herald reports Rockingham County Judge William Delker says Toyota dealer James Boyle wasn’t informed when he bought the property in 2003 that a municipal sewer line was installed in a berm across the rear of the property.

Delker says the city promised to repair the sewer line but hasn’t done so. He says part of the property has become flooded due to years of failed maintenance.

The Portsmouth City Council previously voted to take 4.6 acres of Boyle’s land to maintain the sewer line and allocate $348,000 to compensate him. Boyle and his lawyer have called the amount inadequate.

Information from: Portsmouth Herald