Welcome to 'Just Compensation'
Eminent Domain: First Principles, Kelo, and In Service of Infrastructure Buildout
#WorkforceWednesday: SCOTUS in Review, Biden Acts to Limit Non-Competes, NY HERO Act Model Safety Plans - Employment Law This Week®
Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 140: Listen and Learn -- Regulatory Takings
#WorkforceWednesday: Mandatory Vaccination, Tipped Worker Rule, and SCOTUS Rules Against Organized Labor - Employment Law This Week®
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
Procedures governing eminent domain actions differ in some respects from other areas of law. Notably, all issues, except the sole issue of compensation, are adjudicated by the court....more
The Arizona Court of Appeals recently held that members of a homeowners’ association are not entitled to severance damages to their residential parcels when common areas are condemned....more
Update - February 2024: We have been following the progress of House Bill (“HB”) 64 in Ohio’s 135th General Assembly (formerly HB 698 in the 134th General Assembly) (the “Bill”), which proposes numerous changes to Ohio’s...more
In California, a fundamental principle of eminent domain law is that an owner of property acquired by eminent domain is entitled to just compensation for the property interests taken (Code Civ. Proc. §1263.010)....more
In California, a business operating on real property being acquired, in whole or in part, for a public project may make a claim for loss of goodwill and be entitled to compensation if the business operator establishes the...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
Local government agencies sometimes enact short-term building moratoriums for certain areas to further assess changes in land use patterns or slow growth. Those moratoriums imposed across a large area usually do not...more
Facts: The property owner alleged a per se taking and inverse condemnation in the expansion of a road that increased surface and stormwater runoff flowing under the property and ultimately a sinkhole in the parking lot. The...more
When the government forces a property owner to sell private property, it is usually done through an eminent domain action (a direct taking), and the government is required to pay just compensation. But what if the forced sale...more
Some might argue that challenging the necessity of an appropriation involving a public utility or common carrier is a futile act, given the presumption of the necessity under R.C. 163.09(B)(1)(c). In State ex rel. Bohlen v....more
For property owners, the process of eminent domain — the legal proceeding through which the government can acquire private property for a public purpose — can be a long and intimidating journey. Once an owner becomes aware...more
With billions in Federal infrastructure improvement funding set to pour into Pennsylvania in coming years, privately owned land across the state will be impacted by thousands of “public purpose” projects. In terms of...more
The Ohio Department of Transportation has statutory authority to appropriate real property, but there are limitations to this authority. Among other limitations, ODOT must pay just compensation for the take....more
In Ohio, a condemning authority has the power to take private property for public use through eminent domain. This power is limited, however, by the requirements under the United States and Ohio Constitutions that require the...more
Eminent domain, sometimes referred to as condemnation, occurs when the government exercises its power to take private property for public use. When this awesome power is exercised, the government must pay the property owner...more
You received a Notice of Intent from the government or private company seeking to take your property. You probably have a lot of questions. Read on for answers to common questions and tips on how to protect your rights during...more
In Colorado, eminent domain (also known as condemnation) proceedings take place in several stages. These proceedings are similar to, but not the same as, other civil trials. Most attorneys — let alone property owners — do not...more
I regularly present on eminent domain, and one of the most common questions that came up this past year during live or remote presentations had to do with necessity determinations made by a condemning authority. ...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
A recent decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit concerned a nightmare scenario for any property owner. The plaintiffs sought to rebuild their beachfront house after it was destroyed. Originally...more
In Knick v. Township of Scott, 139 S.Ct. 2162 (2019), the Supreme Court reversed over three decades of precedent when it eliminated the requirement that a plaintiff exhaust state court remedies before pursuing a takings...more
Most professionals in the right-of-way industry are generally aware that partial acquisitions may entitle a property owner to receive compensation not only for the value of the land taken, but also for any damages caused to...more