Staff members with the land trust found out about the work on the property in October 2014 and contacted the Thompsons, who said they were building a road to move the oak trees to their adjacent ranch, where they were building a new home, according to a complaint. Staff members saw that a large trench had been excavated around the tree and its roots, and a significant area around the tree had been damaged, the lawsuit said.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 08, 2019 20:15 UTC