Isn’t it human nature to gaze at the world of billionaires, or affluent people in general, and think the grass is greener on their side? But grass and lawns are so passé, it’s time to shift focus to their trees and the trouble they sometimes bring. The deep-pocketed often land in hot water over massive, manicured lawns that consume more water than necessary, like Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie’s sprawling estate. But it’s not always the entire lawn causing trouble, sometimes, a single tree can spark rifts, demand attention, and even require legal intervention. For some wealthy individuals, these trees become tools for causing trouble with neighbors, which can escalate into full-blown court battles. The world of billionaires is full of intrigue, which is why we’ve compiled a list of instances where billionaires and their beloved trees will leave you grateful for your lack of a green thumb.
Nancy Walton Laurie –
One of the richest women in the world, worth nearly $15 billion today, she is no stranger to the wonders of wealth. From a $300 million superyacht, Kaos, to a mansion in Bel Air, California, and an equine farm in Columbia, Missouri, this uncrowned queen seems to have it all. But there was one incident involving her prized $90,000 eucalyptus tree that had the Walmart heiress fuming and ready to take action.
The 73-year-old American billionaire was livid when developer Mohamed Hadid’s company built a 200-foot-long retaining wall on a neighboring property, cutting the roots of her cherished eucalyptus tree. She demanded a sum so astronomical it could make even the wealthiest pause. While the average price for a full-grown eucalyptus tree hovers between $5,000 and $10,000 for billionaire families and their deeply held attachments to their treasures, the cost of emotion is priceless or nearly $100,000.
Larry Ellison –
The fourth richest man in the world, worth $201 billion and co-founder of Oracle, surely has better things to do than bicker over a tree, especially when he owns an entire Hawaiian island, Lanai, worth $300 million. Yet, this 80-year-old billionaire made headlines for a full-blown spectacle over a cluster of trees.
The issue? Three redwoods and an 80-year-old acacia in the $6.9 million backyard of Bernard and Jane Von Bothmer, which partially blocked Ellison’s view of the San Francisco Bay. What followed were lawsuits and negotiations, ultimately settled in Ellison’s favor, with the trees getting chopped down.
Good thing he has his superyacht, Musashi, for uninterrupted views and serene trips; who needs trees when you’ve got an ocean at your feet?
Amelia Bond and Arthur Bond III –
While trees symbolize growth, resilience, and new beginnings, their owners can sometimes tread a different path laced with malice and treachery. Wealthy couple Amelia and Arthur Bond signed a consent agreement with the state of Maine in which Amelia admitted to poisoning her neighbor’s majestic oaks with a powerful chemical in the fall of 2021.
The neighbor, septuagenarian Lisa Gorman, noticed her precious plants and trees were looking sickly. She was devastated to her core upon discovering that her fabulous flora had been poisoned. The Bonds, who became social pariahs after the scandal broke, had to pay $1.5 million to restore Gorman’s yard, nearly $185,000 in local and state fines, and $30,000 for testing a local beach. Interestingly, the Bonds purchased their Camden home in August 2018 for $1.8 million, according to town records. This act has cost them nearly as much as the home itself.
Billionaire Couple Zara and Paul Holmes à Court-
This Australian billionaire couple found themselves in a battle, not over a tree, but with one. They sought the removal of a peppermint tree from the driveway of their $20 million waterfront mansion. However, their request was met with backlash. The Shire of Peppermint Grove recommended refusing the removal, arguing that the tree was neither dead nor diseased, thus not meeting the council’s criteria for removal.
Fortunately for the Holmes, they won the case, securing approval with a $2,500 bond before any work on the driveway. The couple will also be required to plant two replacement trees on the property. That’s hardly a problem, considering the home is passive and belongs to the son of Australia’s first billionaire, Robert Holmes à Court.
Chris Pine-
When you have ‘Pine’ in your name, surely you of all people can’t get caught up in tree troubles! Yet, the 44-year-old, Star Trek actor found himself ordered to be deposed in a legal dispute with his neighbor, Helen Yu, over invasive tree roots. Yu accused Pine of planting “numerous” trees that encroached on her property, causing issues. Not one to sit idly by, Pine filed a countersuit, alleging that when he purchased the home in 2010, Yu had installed a fence “misplaced by approximately eight to ten feet” onto his land. The case remains unresolved and very much green.
Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani-
Asia’s richest man, worth $95 billion, wasn’t embroiled in any battle over a tree, but his very, very expensive pair of olive trees certainly deserve a mention. Considered highly auspicious, these trees were imported from Spain at a monumental cost of $120,000 to adorn Ambani’s ancestral home in India. The heart wants what the heart wants, and in this case, the centibillionaire wanted trees. As wealth would have it, the pair of olive trees made an incredible 1,800 km journey in special trucks, carefully driven at a slow pace of 30 km/h.
Perhaps some tycoons could take a leaf or two from Ambani’s book on caring for flora, and how to keep them safe on estates without any fights or spats. After all, sometimes it’s the simplest things, like a pair of trees, that add the most value to one’s home. Maybe it’s time we all nurture what we have, before it becomes a costly battle.
