Chris Pine's Physical Presence Demanded In Court As Trespass Trial Looms

Chris Pine's neighbor refuses to let him catch a break in their legal battle, with new demands for their upcoming trial.

Helen Yu, a famous entertainment lawyer, began butting heads with the "Star Trek" actor in 2023 over his trees. She slammed him with a trespass lawsuit, noting his numerous Ficus Benjamina trees had damaged her home.

Although Chris Pine clapped back with a countersuit, his issues with his neighbor are scheduled to air in court. However, Helen Yu recently demanded the Hollywood heartthrob appear in person instead of passing the responsibility to his legal team.

According to new court documents, Yu implored the court to order Pine to appear at their upcoming trial physically. She filed a "notice to appear," stressing that the entertainer and his co-defendant, Bradley Lyon, must attend the November 18 hearing.

Pine has yet to respond to her notice, but he might disagree with her request. The pair have never seen eye to eye since the 2023 case started, with Yu bashing him for trespass, nuisance, and negligence. Part of her argument over his Ficus Benjamina trees read:

"Through action or inaction, [Chris has] unreasonably, negligently, or intentionally caused or allowed the root systems of [his trees] which were planted on the boundary line between the properties and encroached upon [Helen's home]."

The lawsuit, per In Touch, claimed the trees caused "substantial and ongoing damage to [Helen's home]." The list included "cracking of walls and substantial damages to the plumbing and pipes, pool, pool deck, and other areas in or around [Helen's home]."

Yu claimed Pine's trees were "known to have extremely invasive root systems," and their encroachment on her home had created "an unreasonably unsafe condition." Because his actions interfered with her property, she asked for an unspecified amount in damages.

However, Pine refused to accept responsibility and denied all wrongdoings. He countersued Yu for trespassing, claiming her fence was installed on his property line. She responded with a motion to dismiss his lawsuit.

"The hardship that [Helen] would suffer if forced to remove improvements from the disputed property would be greatly disproportionate to any hardship that [Chris] would suffer if the improvements are permitted to remain," Yu's attorney argued.

Yu's notice of appearance filing comes weeks after emerging victorious in her deposition battle. The Blast reported that a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled in her favor by ordering Pine to sit for a deposition within the next 20 days.

Pine was given until October 25 and could appear virtually if he satisfied the judge's request. He could attend the deposition via Zoom as long as he provided all the documents Yu requested.

The judge's order came days after Yu petitioned the court to order Pine to be deposed before their November trial. She stressed that she had been trying to get him to sit down for a deposition since January 2023.

According to Yu, she served Pine with a deposition notice four times, but he refused to appear. In July, her request was rejected because of his schedule, as the actor would be filming a movie and be on vacation until October.

Based on this information, Yu set a new deposition date for October, yet Pine had more reasons to avoid it. She said, "Either [Chris] does not want to be deposed, or his counsel is attempting to get around the trial court's ruling."

She slammed Pine's deposition avoidance, describing his behavior as "unacceptable." However, the actor's attorney denied they were refusing to be deposed and had tried working dates with Yu, but she was allegedly uncooperative.

The deposition wasn't the only problem Yu and Pine had in the trespass case. The pair clashed in September over the actor's plea motion for a continuance, a move the aggrieved neighbor saw as a delay tactic.

Yu argued that Pine had been granted multiple continuances, noting their case was initially scheduled for trial in December 2023. It was continued to April 2, 2024, then August 5, 2024, before the third postponement to November 18, 2024.

"Defendants' application to continue the trial date is not well taken and should be denied. It's just a ploy to avoid trial and to avoid addressing the problem that necessitated the filing of this case," Yu argued.

How will Chris Pine respond to his neighbor's court appearance demands?