[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Courts will look at how both sides BEHAVED. The guy lived on the property for 20 years, behaving as if there was a verbal agreement to live there. The owners let him live there until a busybody bureaucrat came along. It’s easy to believe both sides — the guy bothered no one until some apparatchik decided there were gonna be fees involved so it wasn’t worth the trouble to have the guy there.

Giles said he didn't know Lidstone was living on the land until 2015.

The owner did the legal maneuverings for removing someone who no longer has permission to be on the property. It took 4 years.

No. It took two years. Giles was informed in 2015. He tried to evict Lidstone in 2016 and in 2017 a judge ordered Lidstone to vacate the property.

From the article:

Property owner Leonard Giles, 86, of South Burlington, Vermont, didn’t even know Lidstone was there until the town administrator found out in 2015 and told him, expressing concern “with regard to the solid and septic waste disposal and the potential zoning violations created by the structure,” according to Giles’ complaint in 2016.

Lidstone, a bearded, small-framed, spritely man, has resisted efforts to leave since a judge issued an order for him to vacate in 2017. Following that, both sides had attempted to reach some sort of agreement for him, but were unsuccessful, according to court documents.

What doesn’t make sense about the article is that it said the family owned it since 1963 but the ‘current owner’ claimed this guy was a squatter.

The 'family' owned the land. It doesn't say the current landowner was the original purchaser. You're making that leap.

Giles lives in Vermont. It doesn't sound like he's visited the land too much. And, why should he? He owns it to sell the timber from it.

[Kevmo]

Giles said he didn’t know Lidstone was living on the land until 2015.
***In light of the evidence, probably a lie.

No. It took two years.
***2015, nosy apparatchik. 2017 Judge says get out. 2021, guy forced to leave (not even an eviction but on a contempt of court charge). That is a 6 year count.

Lidstone didn’t even know
***Lidstone CLAIMS he didn’t know. He didn’t visit the property for 20 years it would seem. Not credible.

. It doesn’t say the current landowner was the original purchaser. You’re making that leap.
***It says his FAMILY has owned it since 1963. Poorly written article.

Why should he? Because his claim is not credible. He sold timber from it, how did he know how much timber there was on the land? Stuff like that.