The owners of a Delaware seafood shop are now in court after a building owner claimed that a big stink from the shop’s dumpster is hurting his business.
George Esterling III is the owner of George and Son’s Seafood Market in Hockessin. The building that houses the shop has been in the community for over a century. It wasn’t until recently however that the owner of several buildings located nearby sued the family that owns the building due to the shop’s dumpster.
According to the owner, one of his properties is “unrentable” due to the smell. He also claims vehicles from the shop are constantly crossing his property.
“A dumpster is gonna stink,” Esterling said. “We keep it neat, we keep it clean but on a hot summer day right before trash pickup, if there are day crabs, which we double bag and put out at the last minute, it’s gonna stink.”
The lawyer in the lawsuit claimed that Esterling is not a victim but rather a man who “wants to play by his own rules, even at the expense of others.” The judge who is handling the case visited the business a few times and claimed the smell wasn’t overwhelming.
Denise Poindexter of Hockessin also claims she hasn’t noticed a foul stench. Even if there is one however, Poindexter believes the neighbors should support one another rather than battle each other in court.
“I just think it’s horrible things have turned out this way because that is not the way Hockessin was,” she said. “Everybody was just very close and everybody knew one another. Live and let live.”
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A court decision has not yet been made.
