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Regulatory Takings and Executive Power to Seize Property
Last summer, I wrote a blog about why just compensation—which is based on the ‘objective’ standard of what a property would sell for on the open market—shortchanges residential property owners subjected to eminent domain. In...more
In my last blog, I wrote about the shortcomings of compensating displaced property owners based on the ‘objective’ standard of the market value of their property. That standard ignores the owners’ ‘subjective’ losses, such...more
When we take on an eminent domain case, our primary goal is to put our client in the best position possible. In some cases, that means fighting the taking itself, as my dad (and boss) did in the well-known Wayne County v....more
The payment of “just compensation” for the taking of private property includes more than merely writing a check to the property owner after a jury determines the current fair market value of the taking. A property owner is...more
When an entity moves to ‘take’ land or property (via the power of eminent domain), all parties involved become entrenched in determinations of what constitutes adequate compensation. This process is ultimately what a...more
In California eminent domain cases, appraisers typically have relatively wide latitude in determining fair market value for the property to be acquired. However, there are certain rules they must follow, and when an appraiser...more
In my last post, “Real Estate Alphabet Soup: I is for Improvements” I continued my primer on the “alphabet soup” of real estate. This post continues to stir the “alphabet soup” with the letter “J.” J is for “just...more
In an eminent domain proceeding, the property owner and the condemning agency each typically introduce evidence of just compensation through valuation experts. The jury is then required to render a verdict in between the...more
Landowners are constitutionally guaranteed just compensation when their property is taken for a public project. But the precise amount of just compensation is often an area of significant disagreement between landowners and...more
When a government condemns (takes) private property for a public use, the property owner is entitled to receive “just compensation” equal to the property’s market value. Value is typically determined by appraisals, but if the...more
Few things are more distressing than learning that your property is being taken by eminent domain . You undoubtedly will have many questions. What is the process by which my property is being taken? How long will the process...more
The North Carolina Supreme Court has held that real estate brokers may legally testify regarding the fair market value of real property in condemnation cases. In NCDOT v. Mission Battleground Leasco, LLC, the condemnee...more
In California eminent domain proceedings, a property owner is entitled to the “fair market value” of the property being acquired. Typically, fair market value is determined by analyzing comparable sales or by utilizing an...more
Landowners along the border of the United States and Mexico may soon face fast-tracked efforts by the federal government to condemn easements and, in many cases, substantial portions of their land outright through eminent...more
When a government agency or private party involuntarily takes your property (a proceeding called eminent domain or condemnation), you are entitled to receive "just compensation" for the property. In North Carolina, "just...more
Government projects to build or expand roadways, erect public buildings, and install infrastructure, such as sewer, water and electrical lines, all require land. So long as building projects meet certain requirements,...more
The power of eminent domain allows a government or quasi-governmental entity to condemn (take) private property for a public use upon a showing of necessity. In exchange, the property owner must receive “just compensation”...more
As an eminent domain attorney, when I think about a “takings” claim, I always think about a claim involving someone’s real property. Has the government trespassed onto private property, has it imposed regulations that deny...more
After two years of negotiating with residential property owners, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors approved acquisition of the property by eminent domain. The Modesto Bee reports that the board approved the...more
Project Overview - The California High-Speed Rail Authority (“HSR”) plans to build an 800-mile high-speed rail system stretching from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim and eventually to Sacramento and San Diego. The...more