Vanessa Carlton and John McCauley have been embroiled in an ongoing legal battle with noisy neighbors for a couple years now. The "A Thousand Miles" singer and Deer Tick member brought the conflict to the Rhode Island Supreme Court on Thursday (April 2) while hundreds of high schoolers observed.
The musicians are fighting their Warwick neighbors Artak Avagyan and Lee Beausoleil, who bought the 15-acre industrial zoned property at 175 Post Road in 2019 and currently lease it to North American Crane and Rigging. The owners made a proposal to build contractor storage units, and it was met with backlash that led to the withdrawal of the development plans. Since then, they've demolished a footbridge built by Boy Scouts, cutting off access to a scenic trail. They also erected a chain-link fence, which blocks the entrance to the walking trail.
In November 2024, the since-retired Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Procaccini restricted activities at 175 Post Road to the city’s limit of 60 decibels, but the noise allegedly hasn't stopped. It's not just Carlton and McCauley complaining about the noise; other neighbors expressed their frustrations to NBC 10 News. Carlton and McCauley also accused Avagyan of harassing the couple by filming them with his cellphone at the property line, but he denies the allegation.
Meanwhile Carlton's new album, Veils, is slated for release on April 17, and Deer Tick's Coin-O-Matic arrives on June 5.
