Power Company tore

up my property. The Utility says the contractor has it in his contract to fix all damage. All I'm getting from this contractor, that ain't that bad, or that was already a bad road, and not really any action or promises to fix anything.
The road they used and fields they used weren't in any easement and they couldn't have did what they did from inside an easement. Wasn't told much about the scope of work. Most of the area they worked was in the CREP program. Ran over our push mower. What are my rights in KY or where to start to fix this?

go get yourself a good aggressive ,honest, lawyer.
Might be a list of them on daveramsey.com

Should it be your job to chase after a contractor who was working on behalf of the power company.. ? Naah.. I would have a firm conversation with the power company and demand an explaination for the "overstepping" of any easement.... I would request them to come out and have a first hand look at any damage; and as long as they are comming, bring a new push mower.

Could you give more detail as to what they did, and the extent of the total damage. Did they bury a line in an area where they did not have an easement?

I am curious.. I would think that the power company would not want anyone pi$$ed off at them, as the day may come that your cooperation is needed to maintain that utility...

I obviously don't know all the details. They did the same on my land and I chained one of their machines to a tree and called the State Police. Power company then sent their security people over. So, we had a show down and they paid me a cash settlement before I unchained the machine. It was the contractor that paid me directly, not the power company.

One word of warning. Does the power company have any easements on your land? It does not have to show on your deed, as long as they have a deeded easement, so you'd better make sure. They might of gotten an easement 50-60 years ago from a past owner you're unaware of it. Usually all it takes is a phone call to the power company's right-of-way department. Ask them what right they claim to have, to enter your property and they have to tell you. Many of the old easements they used to write were open-ended right-of-ways that gave them permission to do just about anything.

I've seen the easement and it's in general terms written in the 1930s-40s so it really does back anything they want to do.
They compressed my gravel driveway till rocks grew because all the gravel was so compressed around them, made new roads, compressed most of my CREP field so it needs subsoiling or tilling, ran through low spots and compressed them till they hold water broke through locked gates. they ran multiple 10+ ton trucks up and down my drive way for tow months strait, used a lot of my land outside the easement. Kill about all the CREP.

"so it really does (not) back anything"
Missed a word.

I would try to work with the utility right of way group. They know the problems with old easements and are used to working the company lawyers. Sounds like you are dealing with the contractor and mabey some project management people at the utility - these guys are not your friends. Also re. lawyers, utilities make an effort to have a working relationship with lots of local lawyers.

had a problem this spring with contractor cutting tree limbs i wouldn't deal with contractor, first guy at the r.e.a just sorta put me off so i call the head man at local R.E.A after my chat with him the the first guy i talked with made a trip out to see me he wasn't all that happy as it was on a sunday moring when i had time to meet him after that, contractor made three trips to fix the problem, lot of time utility will say it up to contractor but he works fore the utility so that who you have to stay on.

Two years ago I had a large utility pole snap off in the middle of one of my farms. Corn was just starting to tassle. Co. they hired to replace it asked me where I wanted them to enter and exit field and power co. paid me well for all crop damage and loss of following years crop do to compaction. Can't say a bad thing about the deal. They treated me more than fair.

So you're from Kentucky? There goes the neighborhood. Now I want to move to another state.

Go back to the utility and give them the situation, it's up to them to control their hired help.

Had the same thing last month, they just breeze in as they owned the place without reporting to the house, they had to leave the easement to cross a creek but the road was blocked with a tractor I was repairing which they found out when they reached it,so I told them to get in their truck and F.... off, This stems from a previous time when my Dog found one employee examining a pole without him letting me know of his presence, I was rather cheesed off about that and let the Power Coy know and was assured it would not happen again,believe that?
If the Dog had bitten him they would have been yelling for it's destruction although just doing what she is fed for.

In this area, we have 2 places, both with power company owned land for high voltage (115,000 volts) transmission lines, both places are about 30 miles apart. At each place, the power company has been doing extensive work, one had a new circuit, new conductors, another had new conductor installed, both required quite a bit of equipment, and manpower.

At the onset of the work, I made sure that the power company right of way/forestry/landowner representative visited the site FIRST. I went over any concerns, offered assistance, and coordinated their access. In short it worked out great, with some greatly appreciated beneficial things occurring.

The only trouble I had was with the line crew, they worked at a quick pace and would not spend a minute with a dozer to dress up an area they tore up, they wrecked 2 gate posts, crimped the end of a culvert pipe, enough to pi$$ anyone off, however the forestry contractor, Asplundh, at the direction of the power company rep, with my input, and or presence, without hesitation, new culvert pipe, installed 2 new gates and pretty much took care of everything, besides all the extra benefits I was able to make use of, the drill contractor allowed me use of their rented backhoe, at the other place, they did some clearing and brought out about 10 cord of real nice logs, all hardwood, and staged in our pasture.

I know a lot of people have horror stories, but my edge was I was involved in the heavy/commercial construction industry, and instinct told me to immediately get involved, work with them, introduce myself to the actual contractor foremen etc. let them know their is a landowner presence at all times, I think it's when they are let run loose without a landowner presence that things get turned bacwards. Now, even if it did not go well, I could have easily have been a real stick in the mud, fly in the ointment, and I let that be clear with the power company rep, I could have easily stalled their access, and caused all kinds of problems because the were in the buffer of a wetland. I think it was also good to let em know my background, very familiar with the scenario, subcontractors always need to be monitored, something that was a big part of my career, kind of like going to the auto repair shop, you let em know you speak the language, vs being the deer in the headlights.

You definitely need to document any and all damages, sounds like you're in the same position, I have to let them in to access their land, by deed, however it by no means allows them to do as they wish and or cause damage on our adjacent land, hopefully you have a decent right of way agent from the power company.

lol KARMA

you leave your mower outside? lol

Your only electrical trouble is that the extension cord doesn't come loose from your van in your mother's back yard to her welfare apartment.

Before this thread gets deleted because IR hijacks it. We weren't informed of the massive scope of the work being done, so our impression was of past work with them was some work and leaving in a week or less. There were up to ten 10ton+ trucks on my property and there was no way they could stay in their easement. Were were told they needed to add four anchors and were paid a reasonable amount for four square foot of property, but they dug a hole as big as a pickup to place one set of anchors. They had trouble getting through the rock. So why not have somebody hammer in a casing/steel rod and be done with it in a day instead or two weeks?

KY Power, KU, RECC, or 3 Rivers? A lot depends on who the company in question is. If its a RECC co-op line or one of the Touchstone affiliates your best bet is to talk to your elected director on their board. These guys get paid well and have a really good deal going, they can bring a little pressure on the co-ops management.

KU/LG&E will probably be the hardest to deal with. They are owned out of country and are a for profit business. But they still should have a contingency clause in their contract with the contractor. KY Power is a for profit company too, and can be a pill to deal with until you get to the right people at AEP.

What I would do is document everything. Photo's, dates and times of your conversations, etc. Talk to your local Farm Bureau and see if they can get you in touch with both the state FB Federation office and also ot see if you have an insurance claim. It probably will end up with the Public Service Comission but they will talk a lot more favorably to FB people than to indiviuals. Litigation is certainly an option, especially small claims. While your damages may very well exceed 1500, the last thing any big company wants to do is have to deal with a small claims case. My email is open if you want to contact an attorney. I've worked with a few particularly east of I65 that can probably help you, especially if your damages are over 1500.

At the risk of causing problems, I often do consulting work for power companies working with land owners to complete restoration to their satisfaction after the sub-contractors get through tearing up the land. Chances are the power company will want to fix things for you and they will pass along any costs to their sub-contractors for not fixing things before they left. As long as there is a easement, the power company has the right to accesss it at any time, without obtaining your prior approval. I do it all the time.

lol Apartments don't have yards you kook.

So you leave your mower outside all winter huh? Along with the broken down vehicles on blocks in the front yard, and the old washing machine and sofa on the front porch. Classic.

And my mother is a millionaire. Unlike you and your family, she worked hard to get ahead. She didn't bellyache about how life isn't fair, she did something about it. You, on the other hand, sit on your computer all night crying about what you don't have instead of getting another job.

Pathetic loser.

I told one of them that they were using my land (outside the easement) with out permission or compensation. He told me their right to access egress gave them the right to do that.
I told him he was reading something into the definitions of those words.
He said I could have my property fixed OR compensation.
Told him I don't think that's how it works or is gonna work.

Thanks, I'll contact you if I need to. I believe they're one of the RECC. East KY Power COOP.

As I reread your post, I noticed you listed my friendly company as not so friendly.