BLOG: Condemnation Law

Missouri Revises Its Eminent Domain Laws, Protects Property Rights

by: Anthony F. Della Pelle
13 Jul 2022
On June 11, 2022, Missouri’s Governor Michael Parson signed House Bill HB 2005 to reform the State’s eminent domain laws. The new legislation specifically targets use of eminent domain by electrical companies as well as application to farmland being taken. HB 2005 details that in order to use the power of eminent domain, electrical companies... Read More

Revocation of Highway Access Affirmed on Appeal

by: Joseph Grather
6 Jul 2022
On July 5, 2022, the Appellate Division affirmed a denial of direct highway access by the NJ Dep’t of Transportation. In re Revocation of the Permit for Direct Access to Route 206, Docket A-1958-18. Opinion here.  The property owner – Sylvia Zika – had litigated the denial of access through the entire regulatory process culminating... Read More

LA Considers “Buying” Private Apartment to Fight Soaring Rent Prices

by: Michael Realbuto
16 Jun 2022
In late May 2022, the Los Angeles City Council directed the city to make a formal offer on a 124-unit housing development where the landlord raised rents by up to 300 percent. Residents of the Hillside Villa Apartments (“HVA”) at 636 N. Hill Place have lobbied since 2020 for Los Angeles to use the power... Read More

Redevelopment Plan Approving Grocery Store Use Upheld on Appeal

by: Joseph Grather
6 Jun 2022
Last Friday, a two-judge panel of the Appellate Divison issued a Per Curiam opinion in Meredith v. Mayor and Council Borough of Somerdale (A-1933-20) and “affirm[ed] substantially for the cogent reasons expressed by Judge Silverman Katz in her thorough written decisions.” Slip op. at 16. Full text of the opinion is available here. This case... Read More

Fear of Taking and Allegations of Conspiracy Not Enough to Stop Redevelopment Designation

by: Anthony F. Della Pelle
25 Apr 2022
This recent Third Circuit Court of Appeals opinion stemmed from the district court’s dismissal of Plaintiff’s Complaint in Lieu of Prerogative Writ. Merrick Wilson, Academy Hill, Inc., and River Valley Heights Corp. (“Plaintiffs”) brought this action challenging the City of Lambertville’s resolution (100-2018) declaring an area that included Plaintiffs’ property as “in need of redevelopment.”... Read More

Appellate Division Affirms Town’s Right to Take Redevelopment Property

by: Michael Realbuto
14 Apr 2022
In New Jersey, redevelopment designations are often a precursor to the government exercising its eminent domain power. However, in order for the government to use eminent domain, it must first obtain a final judgment from the court authorizing the “right to take.” On April 6, 2022, in Lindenwold v. Jackson, et al., the Appellate Division... Read More

N.J. District Court: Jersey City’s Limit on Short-Term Rentals is Constitutional Under the Takings Clause

by: Michael Realbuto
7 Mar 2022
Home sharing platforms have exploded in popularity over the past decade, becoming an acceptable way for individuals to earn supplemental income from their properties. Using these platforms, individuals may lease or sublease their properties for a short-term period of days, weeks, or months at a time. In 2015, Jersey City passed an ordinance affirmatively permitting... Read More

Crossing the Line? Nebraska Plans to Use Eminent Domain to Take Land in Colorado

by: Michael Realbuto
19 Jan 2022
We often think of eminent domain as the inherent power of the government to take private land for a public purpose. But what about when one sovereign entity intends to take land from another? Let’s look at a recent interstate taking story from the Nebraska-Colorado border, where Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts plans to use Nebraska’s... Read More

How Can A Taking By Eminent Domain Affect Your Taxes?

by: Michael Realbuto
5 Jan 2022
The complex intersection of eminent domain taxation and property rights often creates confusion for property owners facing government takings. When your property is acquired through eminent domain, you may face unexpected tax implications beyond just losing your property. While certain properties like churches and schools may be exempt from eminent domain, most private property owners... Read More

East Orange Resident Faces an Uphill Battle After a Surprise Tax Foreclosure

by: Michael Realbuto
16 Dec 2021
Buying, owning, and securing property can be one of the most monumental and emotionally taxing periods in a person’s life. As John Adams once noted, “[p]roperty must be secured, or liberty cannot exist.” Discourses on Davila, in 6 Works of John Adams 280 (C. Adams ed. 1851). These principles are woven throughout the story of... Read More