Couple sued millionaire after his 6 German shepherds kept them up at night for 20 months. The verdict gave them exactly $1

For nearly three years, David and Holly Horrigan often found themselves shaken awake in the middle of the night in their northern Wake County home. The culprit was six German shepherds owned by their neighbor and multimillionaire businessman, Peter Loftin. With relentless barks during the night, the dogs disrupted their ability to enjoy their property. The dispute eventually went to court in 2001. And although the concerns of the Horrigans were validated by the law, the jury awarded them just $1 in damages from their neighbor, according to a November 3, 2026, report by The News & Observer.

Tormented by incessant barks

The Horrigans began complaining about Loftin’s dogs in 1998. After they said the problem was never adequately addressed, they sued him in 2000. In the lawsuit, the Horrigans claimed that they endured 20 months of “nightly serenading by half a dozen German shepherds.” But Loftin argued that he always tried to be a good neighbor. When the Horrigans complained about his dogs, he shifted his dogs’ kennel, bought bark collars, and eventually removed the dogs entirely from his house in February 2001.

Dogs are a major dealbreaker

Like the Horrigans, more than three-quarters (79%) of Americans are bothered by a neighbor who has barking dogs, per an August 7, 2025 AnytimeEstimate survey of 1,000 U.S. adults. Nearly 84% of Americans consider excessive dog barking a major neighborhood nuisance and a major dealbreaker when buying a home. Separately, a New Zealand study found that among 727 respondents, 75% said nighttime barking would bother them and 49% said the same about frequent daytime barking.

A symbolic verdict

After the verdict came out, the Horrigans took a breath of satisfaction. Although the Superior Court Judge Henry W. Hight Jr. didn’t make it clear whether the Horrigans could prevent Loftin from having dogs on his 71-acre property, for the latter, the symbolic award still represented recognition of their complaint. “We are certainly looking forward to our peace and quiet,” Holly remarked after the hearing. Meanwhile, Horrigans’ attorney, John Bryant, shook Loftin’s hand and demanded his share of the penalty. “I want my 30 cents,” Bryant joked.

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