FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A rural Valley City woman has filed a civil lawsuit against a North Carolina man accused of breaking into her rural home more than six years ago during a journey to find abandoned farmsteads.

The federal complaint by Shirley Starke seeks $700,000 in damages from Patrick Zaun and several companies he has been affiliated with since the July 2007 break-in. Starke says it doesn’t matter if Zaun thought the house was empty. She says he broke the law and the incident has caused her emotional distress. Starke says Zaun was charged with criminal mischief.

Starke’s lawyer, John Gosbee, says the suit was the result of a recent discussion with his client. The lawsuit claims that Zaun is currently working in Japan. Court documents do not list a lawyer for him.