Minnesota court reverses $20,000 privacy award in driveway camera feud

A dispute between two Minnesota couples over a shared driveway, tree removal and a security camera has taken another turn after an appeals court reversed a $20,000 privacy award. On October 19, 2026, the Minnesota Court of Appeals reversed part of a $27,000 damages judgment in Leonard Ruby v. Dominic Stahley. According to the court’s opinion, published by Justia, the conflict began after Dominic and Melissa Stahley bought a neighbouring property in 2020 that could only be accessed through a gravel driveway on Leonard and Sandra Ruby’s land. The court sent the privacy claim back for further proceedings while reducing damages for unlawful tree removal.A shared driveway sparks a neighbourhood feudThe Rubys bought their property in Forest Lake, Minnesota, in 2014. Four years later, the Stahleys purchased the neighbouring property, whose only access to a public road was through a gravel driveway crossing the Rubys’ land.