Hebrank
Alhambra landowners claim two Illinois logging companies trespassed onto their property, cut down trees worth more than $50,000 and then hauled half of them away.
Gregg and Celeste Korte filed a lawsuit against Mid-State Timber and Veneer Company and CTC Export Inc. on Oct. 8 in Madison County Circuit Court.
The Kortes say Mid-State was logging a piece of property north of land they own in Alhambra. The couple says Mid-State crossed over the property line and intentionally cut down about 85 trees on land owned by the Kortes.
After the trees were cut down, the Kortes claim CTC Export entered the property, and removed nearly 50 of the cut trees and hauled them to its facility in Vandalia. Gregg Korte says he attempted to recover the logs from CTC but the company has refused to return them.
The landowners say both defendants violated the Wrongful Tree Cutting Act the trees are valued at more than $50,000 so they are legally owed three times that amount by both companies.
The Kortes also accuse Mid-State and CTC Export of trespass for being on the couple's property without permission. They are asking for more than $50,000 in actual damages along with punitive damages and court costs.
Attorneys Jeffrey S. Hebrank and Jason D. Johnson of HeplerBroom LLC in Edwardsville are representing the Kortes. They demand a jury trial.
Madison County Circuit Court Case No. 10-L-1049