Pines Needle Church and Cemetery

The Bible says to love thy neighbor, but it doesn’t say anything about not taking thy neighbor to court.

One particular case involves a Garden Grove church and a cemetery, two establishments usually thought of as working hand-in-hand. But the neighbors have had a major falling-out over a row of trees--more specifically, falling branches from 100-year-old pines along the property line.

The 13 pines belonging to Magnolia Memorial Park threaten the safety of preschool children, parents, teachers and automobiles, officials of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church contend.

Church officials have sued cemetery owner Jeremiah de Michaelis demanding that the Italian pines be trimmed.

The tiff is months old, and patience has evaporated.

“We’re not going to turn the other cheek to someone posing a threat to our property and parishioners,” said church attorney Stephen Onstot. “Two branches have fallen, and by the grace of God nobody has been injured.”

Church officials fear another branch could hit the church’s preschool yard, just across a narrow driveway from the pines.

The church alleges in its suit that the two large branches fell on the cemetery’s property and onto a congregation member’s car in the church parking lot.

After the second branch came down, the church council prohibited parking under the trees.

De Michaelis said he spent nearly $2,000 trimming the trees before the lawsuit’s filing. He added that the church had originally agreed to pay for half the trimming costs but hasn’t.

“We asked him to do it and he did. It was a lousy job,” Onstot said.

The suit also accused De Michaelis of “verbally abusing church clergy.”

De Michaelis blamed church officials. “They call themselves ministers and all that stuff. They’re the ones abusing me.”

The Superior Court suit is scheduled to be heard in January.