You Be the Judge

When these nosy neighbors squeal, is it innocent concern or a malicious act?

Utterly Helpless

Allison and Jerry Benson had been living happily in Settler's Point, their dream waterside neighborhood outside Savannah, Georgia, for three years. Happily, that is, until Korinne Lippy and her fiancé, Craig Zebrowski, moved in across the cul-de-sac in February 2000. Tensions between the families started right away -- when Lippy and Zebrowski complained that the Bensons' Labrador, Bailey, was running unleashed through the neighborhood.

é But the trouble didn't end there. According to Allison Benson, Zebrowski actually snarled at her, "I hate kids, and I hope I run over and kill your dog." He denies saying this.

It was this comment that made Allison Benson very scared one Saturday morning in April 2000, when she and her son Christopher were planting flowers in the front yard less than two feet from the street. Zebrowski "peeled out of his driveway and purposely swerved his car like he was going to hit us," she said. Zebrowski denies the incident, but Benson reported him for reckless driving. The police talked to Zebrowski later that day, but no charges were brought.

Three days later, however, Lippy filed a warrant for a "dog at large," forcing the Bensons to go to court. The Bensons assured the judge they now had an electric fence and were let go with a warning, but the family continued to feel harassed. They soon found mysterious eggs and spit on their car. And when plants in their front yard began to die off, the Bensons suspected that the garden had been sprayed with poison. They had a clear idea of who was responsible, but once again Lippy and Zebrowski denied having anything to do with the incidents.

These disputes had continued for two long years when, on September 2, 2002, Korinne Lippy looked out her window and was troubled by what she saw. The two little Benson boys, five-year-old Christopher and two-year-old Andrew, were playing naked in a water bucket in their driveway. Their father, Jerry, was washing his boat a few feet away while he watched the boys splash around. Lippy and Zebrowski had no children, but both deemed the boys' behavior to be disgusting, unsanitary and dangerous. They suspected the boys could suffer sunburns and insect bites that could lead to diseases like West Nile virus.

Lippy, who says she had seen a lot of news about pedophiles that summer, was particularly vexed by the boys' nudity. She decided to call the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) to find out if what she saw was considered inappropriate behavior. Lippy told the caseworker at DFCS that Jerry Benson seemed to be "enjoying himself as he looked at his naked boys," and Lippy shared her concern about pedophilia. The caseworker asked Lippy about the Benson children and seemed concerned from her answers that the boys may have often been left alone or unsupervised.

Based on Lippy's call, a DFCS caseworker visited the Bensons and told the family that the department had received a call about the treatment of their children. The caseworker then inspected everything from the contents of the Bensons' refrigerator to the closets in the boys' bedroom, searching for anything suspicious. Allison and Jerry were shocked and scared. They feared that their children would be taken away if DFCS suspected abuse. Allison said she felt utterly helpless.

• Your Pets

• You Be the Judge: The Case of the Crazed Canine
• A friend's vicious dog sinks his teeth into 10-year-old Brian. It's a slam-dunk lawsuit. Or is it?
• 
• America's Worst Judges
• Talk about injustice! How do these people stay on the bench? The 2006 Broken Gavel Award winners.
• 
• The Neighbor From Hell
• What would you do if your family and your home became a target?
• 
• Trouble Getting Along With Neighbors
• My neighbors and I just couldn't get along.
• 
• Cultivate Better Bonds With Neighbors and Friends
• 11 ways to maintain a healthy circle around you.
• 
• Being Good Neighbors
• A new take on bartering creates community.
• 

Do you agree with the decision in this case?

Yes. The neighbors were just being cautious. No. Their intent was malicious.

See Results