He’s claims to be from the back streets — but these days he fighting for his tony backyard.
A member of the 90s boyband The Backstreet Boys danced his case into court Thursday to do battle with a local senior citizen who he claims has been illegally sunning herself on the Florida beach behind his waterfront home.
Water-loving warbler Brian Littrell pressed his trespassing suit against beach-goer Carolyn Barrington Hill, which accuses the 67-year-old of coming on to the dry sand behind his $3.8 million beach house in the town of Santa Rosa to hang out and sunbathe without his permission.
The 50-year-old crooner says Hill has traipsed onto the dry sand of his private beach repeatedly from April through September in violation of Sunshine State laws — which say that the public can only go on the beach up to the high tide line behind private homes.
The music star’s suit says the woman repeatedly refused to leave and even videotaped his family without their consent when they complained.
Hill, 67, who described herself in legal papers as “semi-retired” and “on Medicare,” fired back by filing a motion to dismiss Littrell’s whole case — which Hill and Littrell’s lawyers discussed during a video hearing in Walton County Court Thursday.
The singer says Hill’s presence on his property is part of an attempt by local beach-access activists to force open the area’s sands and take away his private beach use.
“What this is really about is a political campaign against [the Littrells] run by certain individuals in the Walton County area,” Littrell’s lawyer, Brent Day, said. “Some people believe they shouldn’t be able to own certain pieces of property.”
“My clients have been wanting to enjoy the peaceful use of their beach,” Day said. “They have been harassed by numerous organizations … day in and day out.”
Hill’s lawyer, Heidi Mehaffey, said that she and her client wanted to ensure that the law allowing access to the “waterline” is enforced and people get at least this level of use of the sands behind wealthy homes.
“The beaches in our great state below the mean high water line is sovereign land held by the state for the public trust of all people — all people, not just people who are wealthy,” Mehaffey said.
The Backstreet boys singer brought the claims alongside his wife Leighanne and their company BLB Beach Hut, LLC, under which they purchased their 1,574-square-foot, three-bedroom, four-bathroom home in 2023.
The Littrells did not attend the video hearing Thursday. Hill’s lawyer said she was present but she was not visible on the screen.
Mehaffey, accused Littrell of using the courts to “deter Ms. Hill and all beachgoers from exercising their fundamental and constitutional right to enjoy the healing waters and dust free air of the beaches of Walton County.”
Day claimed the Littrells have marked the end of their property on the beach by putting up private property signs and beach equipment.
“There can be no mistake about where their property begins and ends,” Day said. “The defendant takes issues with the delineation of the property.”
Day said the Littrells “don’t want people meandering about their backyard,” and said ever since their clash with locals, they “don’t feel safe in their own home.”
Mehaffey said there was no evidence that her client had crossed over that high water line and said the claims against Hill were too “vague.”
“The plaintiffs are attempting to send the message that they will sue without cause to exhaust resources of beachgoers who stand up for their constitutional right to recreate and use water on these beaches,” Mehaffey alleged. “Clearly, this is an attempt to harass and intimidate Ms. Hill and it cannot stand.”
After listening to roughly an hour of oral arguments, Judge Jonathan Schlechter said he would rule at a later date.
Littrell’s suit claims he was “forced to hire security” to protect his family from pesky neighbors and even once had to call the Walton County Sheriff’s Office to kick Hill off their property on May 4.
Littrell also sued the Walton County Sheriff’s Office in July, claiming it wasn’t doing enough to protect the family from trespassers. There is a motion to dismiss by the law enforcement agency currently pending.
A video released in 2023 showed Leighanne insisting that a beachgoer, who set up a sunbathing spot on her property, needed to move to the “water’s edge.”
The “I Want It That Way Singer” stood silently holding up a “No Trespassing” sign while his wife and the man argued. The man said at one point he’s “not f–king moving” and told them to call the cops.
The dispute over the Littrell’s beach land has also made a splash on the Instagram page Shoreline defender, with locals accusing the Littrell property manager of threatening them with a drill while he told people to leave the hotly contested shoreline spot.
Read the full article here
