Burlington County Xmas tree seller suing town and police for not enforcing zoning laws against competitors.

On January 8, 2018, a Willingboro Township (Burlington County) Christmas tree seller filed a lawsuit against Edgewater Park Township and its police department seeking to compel Township officials to enforce zoning ordinances against two competitors.

In his lawsuit and accompanying brief, Frank E. Woolman, Jr. said that Edgewater Park Police Chief Gene DiFilippo told him that "he has no intention of enforcing [zoning] ordinances" against Dunphy Landscaping and Edgewater Stone and Garden which both compete with Woolman's Christmas tree sales.  Woolman claims that he complies with all local zoning codes while his two competitors violate various codes that regulate parking lots, safe customer ingress/egress and signage.

Woolman claims that he has suffered economically because he has been made to "endure unfair business competition from illegal business operations."  He seeks a court order forcing the Township to enforce its zoning ordinances against the two competitors.