The strange case between Gary and Shirley Skiffington and Gerald Linthorne began in September of last year when Linthorne blocked his neighbour’s driveway, there obviously being an argument over who owned it.
Justice Garrett Handrigan ordered that Linthorne remove the obstructions, but when he didn’t comply, the Skiffingtons applied to find Linthorne in contempt of court.
The Skiffingtons removed the obstructions themselves. By 2015, Linthorne owed them close to $5,000 for applications they filed in court due to his initial blocking of their driveway and refusal to clear it.
Linthorne didn’t pay and when the Skiffingtons attempted to get their money through Linthorne’s bank account, they found out that he only had $11.25 in it and had emptied his money from it shortly after the court had ruled he pay the Skiffingtons. He also had a new car but the loan on the vehicle was worth more than the car itself.
Linthorne co-owned the neighbouring property with his wife, it being their matrimonial home. It was valued at $75,000.
The last hearing on the case was Oct. 22 when Handrigan ordered the Linthornes vacate their home within 30 days for it to be sold.
“Gerald Linthorne will not pay the Skiffingtons’ costs voluntarily. He made that clear to me both by his words and actions,” the judge said in the document.
Upon sale of the house, half the money will go to Linthorne’s wife and the amount owed to the Skiffingtons will come from his half.
Judge Handrigan said in the ruling that Linthorne had repeatedly protested his decisions in court and apparently thought himself “judgment-proof.”
