A photo of the “No Parking” signpost that Michael Walker and Tina Gunsalus claimed was permanently damaged and is suing for has been re-erected on the contested strip of land adjacent to Hansen’s home

URBANA – Urbana Parks District Board of Commissioners President, Michael W. Walker is suing his neighbor, Christopher Hansen for alleged damage caused to a signpost. Walker’s wife, C.K (Tina) Gunsalus, Director of the National Center for Professional and Research Ethics (NCPRE) is also named as a Plaintiff.

Walker and Gunsalus claim that Hansen‘s car struck a “No Parking” sign that they erected on the contested six-foot strip of land, “permanently damaging the signpost”. They are seeking actual and punitive damages for damage caused to the signpost and “intentional damage” to their property.

The demands for damages are part of a lawsuit, filed on August 24, 2022 in which Walker and Gunsalus are also suing Hansen for trespass of a strip of land six feet wide which Hansen has been using and maintaining for the past sixteen years. The same strip of land was maintained by his predecessors since the 1970s. The land is immediately adjacent to the foundation of Hansen’s home. Half of Hansen’s brick patio, half of his parking space, and most of his yard is situated on this six-foot strip of land (article here).

Walker and Gunsalus claim that the signpost was permanently damaged, referring to a slight bend in the post. However, just a few days after filing the lawsuit, Walker was observed, with the help of his daughter Anna Shea Gunsalus, repairing the bend by stepping on the post (video below). Fully repaired, Walker then hammered the post back into the ground. CU Perspective observed that the post was rusty and aged and was able to find a nearly identical post at a local hardware store at a cost of under $6.

The full version of the lawsuit filed by Walker and Gunsalus, obtained by CU Perspective from the Champaign County Courthouse can be viewed here.