Branching Out into Crime

Posted on Aug 20, 2024 by

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, I grew up two doors down from my wife. When we got married, we were truly blessed to be able to buy my in-laws’ house. The neighbor in between us, however, was now surrounded by Wydevens and lawyers.

He got even, however, by having a huge weeping willow tree in his yard. It was a beautiful tree in the summer, but in the fall, it would shed millions of tiny leaves that were impossible to rake. While it was simply mildly annoying, it was something we could very easily overlook because it was such a pretty tree, and the neighbor was about the nicest guy you could ever find.

Some neighbors, however, have no problem personally dealing with others’ trees they are not frond of.

Arthur Bond III, is an architect and the nephew of former U.S. Senator Kit Bond from Missouri. His wife, Amelia, is the former CEO of the St. Louis Foundation, which oversees charitable funds with more than $500 million in assets. The Missouri couple spend summers in a mansion on a hill in Camden, Maine. This community of about 5,000 people is nestled at the foot of mountains that sweep upward from the Atlantic Ocean and overlooks Camden Harbor, which is filled with lobster boats, yachts and schooners.

Lisa Gorman, wife of the late Leon Gorman, L.L. Bean’s president and grandson of L.L. himself, owns a home at the bottom of the hill, situated between the Bonds and the harbor. Her yard was filled with beautiful trees, however, the foliage blocked the Bonds’ view of the water.

In June of 2022, Gorman’s trees and other vegetation began dying. So, Amelia Bond approached her and pointed out the dying trees, offering to share the cost of removing them with her. Instead, Gorman had the trees tested.

The trees tested positive for Tebuthiuron, a powerful herbicide that contaminates soil and doesn’t break down, so it continues to kill plants. This was the same chemical used in 2010 by Harvey Updyke, an angry Alabama football fan who tried to kill the Toomer’s Corner oak trees at Auburn University, following a Crimson Tide loss to the Tiges, their archrival. Tebuthiuron is so toxic, about 1,780 tons of contaminated material had to be removed from Auburn to achieve negligible levels of the chemical in the soil. After admitting to the poisoning, Updyke went to jail.

When questioned on the issue, Amelia admitted to bringing the herbicide from Missouri in 2021 and applying it near oak trees on Gorman’s property. They have since paid $4,500 to resolve Maine Board of Pesticides Control Board violations for unauthorized use of an herbicide that was applied inappropriately and not allowed for residential use, $180,000 to resolve violations with the town and another $30,000 for additional environmental testing, according to documents.

Finally, they also paid more than $1.5 million to Gorman in a legal settlement, according to a memo from Jeremy Martin, the town’s planning and development director. But they may not be done. The herbicide leached into a neighboring park and the town’s only public seaside beach. As a result, the state attorney general is now investigating, meaning the Bonds could be liable for further monitoring and remediation, in addition to facing possible criminal charges.

Bonds’ attorney indicated the couple had no comment, but they “continue to take the allegations against them seriously. They continue to cooperate with the town of Camden, state of Maine and the Gormans, as they have done over the last two years.”

While Amelia wasn’t dealing with willow trees, I’m sure there was still some weeping.



The following two tabs change content below.
mm
My LinkedIn profile

Reg P. Wydeven

Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorney at McCarty Law LLP
Hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps from a young age, Reg’s practice primarily consists of advising individuals on estate planning, estate settlement and elder law matters. As Reg represents clients in matters like guardianship proceedings and long-term care admissions, he feels grateful to be able to offer families thorough legal help in their time of need.
mm
My LinkedIn profile

Latest posts by Reg P. Wydeven (see all)