Ohio Edison accused in lawsuit of sneaky tree cutting

YOUNGSTOWN — A lawyer and his wife have sued Ohio Edison for more than $25,000 in compensatory damages and more than $10 million in punitive damages for allegedly sneaking onto their property and cutting down white pine trees without their permission.

Atty. Raymond M. DeLost, and his wife, Maria, filed the civil lawsuit Monday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, naming the electric utility and its tree-cutter, Penn Line Service Inc. of Scottdale, Pa., as defendants.

The utility has an easement for a high voltage transmission line that crosses the DeLost’s two-thirds-acre home site on Lakeshore Drive in Struthers.

The couple said they planted the trees in 1986 to ensure their privacy and enhance the value of their property. “These trees intersected and have always been compatible with defendant’s transmission easement,” the lawsuit said.

Read more in Tuesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com