Josh Shapiro sued by neighbors over alleged land seizure for fence
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Poet Robert Frost once said, “good fences make good neighbors.” Apparently, he’s never met Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who is being sued by his neighbors for effectively invading their land and then seizing it to erect fencing around his $830,500 private residence in suburban Philadelphia. The case is likely to look in a much different light for many who are considering Shapiro as a 2028 contender.
U.S. President Joe Biden watches as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks after a briefing on emergency repair and reconstruction efforts of Interstate-95 on June 17, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (JULIA NIKHINSON/AFP via Getty Images))
The irony of the incident is devastating. Shapiro opposed Trump’s plan to build a wall along the southern border and declared that he would file a lawsuit before a dime of Pennsylvania money was spent on it. He appears to have taken a similar approach to his neighbors in Pennsylvania. The difference is that he built the wall without giving his neighbors a penny.
Shapiro had long wanted a 2,900-square-foot lot located between two homes in Abington, Montgomery County. The problem is that their neighbors love their land and want to keep it. They turned down many offers from Shapiro.
That’s when the governor decided to build it anyway.
GIVE ONE INCH TO THE GOVERNMENT AND SEEK YOUR HOUSE WORTH 200 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN EXCHANGE OF A 2 THOUSAND DOLLAR DEBT
Jeremy and Simone Mock claim that Shapiro used state police to force them off their own property and then build a six-foot security fence, effectively becoming a squatter.
After the Mocks filed suit, Shapiro countersued, claiming the land now belonged to him due to “adverse possession.” Essentially, he claimed that they abandoned the land even though they repeatedly tried to gain entry and repeatedly turned down offers to purchase it.
Welcome to the world of negative ownership. History BC. It is a doctrine and the Code of Hammurabi dating back to the 2000s; This doctrine allows people to acquire title to land that has long been abandoned by its owners. It’s a really long time.
From the Romans to the British to the early days of the American Republic, adverse possession was considered a valid way to obtain title. In the United States. It was especially valuable when people acquired or claimed large tracts of land outside the West and then those lands were left undeveloped and unoccupied. As settlers moved West, they often farmed the land, built structures, and lived openly for years until the original owners reclaimed the place. Adverse property was an effective rule that allowed land to be used efficiently.
Under Pennsylvania law, you must prove that you have had actual, continuous, exclusive, apparent, notorious, distinct and hostile possession of the land for 21 years. Shapiro’s hostile side is not overtly evident, but the Mocks claim that Shapiro effectively used state police to force them off their land, after which they abandoned it.
Each side portrays the other as dishonest and opportunistic.
In their complaint, the Mocks allege that the Shapiros “previously acknowledged that the Fake Property belonged to no one other than the Mocks.” They document that the Shapiros did not want to pay the asking price, so the Mocks offered to lease the land to them. Shapiros allegedly agreed but later backed out.
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“What followed was an outrageous abuse of power by the sitting Pennsylvania Governor and former Attorney General,” Mocks says. Shapiro declared that he owned the property.
The Mocks disputed that they had been paying taxes to the state for nine years on the disputed property.
The Shapiros claim that from 2003 to 2025, they mowed lawns, cleared leaves, and cleared other debris from the land as if it were their own. Accordingly, they claim that 21 years have passed and the title deed of the land has been obtained. They also claim that after purchasing the property in April 2017, the Mocks did not claim the land or object to the location of an existing fence. However, they did this in October 2025.
Shapiro claims the Mocks didn’t even know they owned the property until he informed them of the results of a recent survey.
The fascinating element is the use of provincial soldiers to keep the Mocks off their lands. The complaint even shows a picture of two troopers and states: “These members of the State Police are on the Mock Property. Behind the officers are arborvitae trees that the Shapiros placed on the Fake Property without permission and over the Mocks’ express objection.”
Barely after the required 21 years, any period in which the Mocks contested ownership would have resolved the adverse possession claim. Meanwhile, few people seem to sympathize with the Shapiros taking a neighbor’s property. Negative possession is rarely welcomed in people, but it is more palatable if the owner is not there and lingers.
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The owners here are very present and vocal.
The state’s situation also makes the optics worse. having trouble handling a slum crisis in which people occupy the homes of others and refuse to leave during years of litigation. Shapiro is accused of being a slum dweller who had a state trooper on duty to back him up. It’s unclear whether it would be worse if Shapiro lost or won while taking his neighbor’s property without compensation.
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The dispute has already spilled into the political arena, and Shapiro is running for re-election. One of his competitors, Stacy Garrity, posted a Valentine’s Day message on social media featuring Shapiro’s face: “I love you more than I love my neighbor’s garden.”
The truth is that there are convincing arguments on both sides of this dispute. The question for Shapiro is whether he can afford to win.
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