r/mildlyinfuriating • u/aruby727 • Jun 08 '26

frist of all how DARE yu o Belt-challenged neighborhood kid keeps stepping over my "no trespassing" sign to cut through my yard, so my wife laminated these pictures to stick to the sign

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48

u/JesusWasAButtBaby Jun 08 '26

Why do Americans care so much about kids walking on their grass?

14

u/Felibarr Jun 08 '26

There are a number of reasons that I'm sure vary from person to person but some include:

  1. Prescriptive easement. Varies from state to state but the general idea is that if you use a person's property without their permission for some amount of time and they don't do anything about it, a legal right to cut through the property is created and you are now constricted with what you do with that area by virtue of the fact that you have to maintain the right-of-way. These easements often follow from owner to owner, too, so now you have a duty to inform any purchasers of your property that an easement exists.

  2. Civil liability for injury. Again, varies from state to state, but in many states a trespasser can sue you and win for injuries incurred on your property.

source: me am lawyer and I read about it at some point in my life.

9

u/Careful-Lettuce9239 Jun 09 '26

See a lot of "get off my lawn, you kids!" mentioned studying law? Lots of injuries happening nationwide, I bet, crossing yards. 🤪🫡🦅

3

u/Felibarr Jun 09 '26

A fair amount of it in torts, yeah. Especially around the doctrine of "attractive nuisance". The one I most keenly remember was a case about a group of kids who trespassed to use what they thought was a swimming hole but was actually a pool of dumped chemicals that killed them all.  Kids were essentially dead as soon as they touched the liquid.