Pennsylvania governor and neighbours sue each other over disputed land ownership

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his neighbours have filed competing lawsuits over an eight-foot security fence erected around his home in Montgomery County following an arson attack on his official residence in Harrisburg. The dispute centres on a strip of land that the governor and his wife believed belonged to them for more than two decades but which was later found to fall outside their property deed. The neighbours allege that the Shapiros unlawfully occupied part of their yard to construct the barrier, while the governor is seeking a court ruling confirming ownership of the disputed land.Josh Shapiro and his neighbours are fighting over the security fenceThe dispute emerged after Jeremy and Simone Mock filed a federal lawsuit accusing Shapiro and his wife of unlawfully occupying a section of their Abington property to build the eight-foot fence. According to 6abc Philadelphia, the neighbours argue that the governor used his position and authority under state law to disregard their shared property boundary. Their complaint also alleges that the conduct infringed their constitutional rights, turning what might otherwise have been a neighbourhood property disagreement into a legal challenge involving the state's highest elected official.The fence was installed as part of security measures following an attack on Shapiro's official residence in Harrisburg in April 2025.