Family awarded $5 million for golf ball damage to home

KINGSTON, Mass. (WCVB) – A family in Massachusetts was awarded nearly $5 million after golf balls caused thousands of dollars in damages to their home.

The family’s attorney says nearly 700 golf balls have landed on their property since 2017, when they moved in.

“There are 26 windows that need to be replaced. The entire siding of the home has to be replaced,” explained Robert Galvin, the family’s attorney.

The Tenczar family loves the golf course view the Indian Pond Country Club provides, but their attorney says the hazards weigh heavily on their hearts.

“This was so extremely upsetting to them, and they were so completely powerless to really fix the problem. The problem has to be fixed from the golf course side,” Galvin said.

Galvin said the potential for damage is a part of the risk of living near the fairway, adding that the club has insurance to fix damage like what’s seen at the Tenczar’s house.

The family’s attorney said they declined that action because they wanted to prevent such a large number of golf balls from entering their property.

“There’s a lot of damage,” Galvin said.

The judge on the case awarded the Tenczar family $100,000 in damages and $3.5 million in emotional distress. Fees and interest bring the total to nearly $5 million.

Galvin said the family didn’t try to sell the home because it would have been too difficult to find a buyer.

“It would be impossible to sell the house with that type of situation,” he explained. “The problem had to be solved.”

The owner of the golf course plans to appeal the judge’s decision.

In the meantime, they’ve changed the hole the Tenczar family lives near as they work to find a positioning that will not lead to as many golf balls hitting their home.

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