Sudbury, Ont., couple reaches settlement with Laurentian University over property encroachment
Court documents show the property was sold for $20,000
A Sudbury, Ont., couple has reached a proposed settlement with Laurentian University regarding a longstanding land encroachment disagreement.
In 2016, James Crispo and Dominique Ansell bought their home on South Bay Road, and later discovered Laurentian University owned almost half of their backyard, including their septic system, patio and pool shed.
Since then, the couple has offered to purchase the land without success, and embarked on an online campaign to reach a settlement with the university.
The couple offered Laurentian $70,000 plus a larger piece of land for the 389 square metres, but the university refused and filed a lawsuit against them.
But according to the agenda from Laurentian's last board of governors meeting on Aug. 21, it appears they have come to an agreement.
The board voted unanimously on Aug. 15 to act upon a "proposed settlement and recommendation outlined and presented by the university's interim general counsel in her memorandum of July 18, 2022."
But because that portion of the board meeting was in-camera, the proposed settlement's details were not revealed.
In an email to CBC News Laurentian said "the terms are confidential and we are unable to provide more information on this matter."
Crispo said in an email that he could not comment on the particulars of the litigation.
"Dominique and I are focused on our family, our respective careers, and contributing to our community," he said.
"As Laurentian University alumni, we are proud of the exceptional education that we received at Laurentian and look forward to opportunities to collaborate with the university community on future endeavours."
Court documents released in January 2023 as part of the insolvency proceeding, show that the Crispos agreed to pay $20,000 to Laurentian for the property.