Eminent Domain Report

We’ve previously reported on the “Rails to Trails” process by which old railroad corridors are being abandoned and converted into other uses, such as hiking, biking or other trail purposes, and the potential ability of adjacent property owners to seek just compensation in certain circumstances. But what happens when the railroad is owned in fee by the railroad, or alternatively, where the railroad continues to operate but adds a pathway within the railroad corridor? Is compensation owed in these circumstances? 

The Nossaman team recently litigated these issues in a case ...

In Washington State, when a public agency determines it needs to acquire property for a public project, the agency will work directly with the private property owner to negotiate a purchase price for the property rights needed. However, if the agency reaches an impasse in the negotiations with the property owner, the public agency may turn to its eminent domain power and initiate a condemnation lawsuit. A condemnation lawsuit triggers the formal legal process for the agency to take private property for a public purpose without the owner’s consent in exchange for payment of just ...

Join me on January 8, 2024, as I present “Rights Included in Rights-of-Way” during “California Highway and Utility Rights-of-Way,” a webinar hosted by HalfMoon Education. During my presentation, I will discuss the condemnation process, landowner rights, maintenance of rights-of-way, alterations and encroachments and different types of rights-of-way used for highway purposes.

HalfMoon Education is a nonprofit continuing education provider whose mission is to develop and sponsor high-quality, timely and competitively-priced continuing education seminars ...

A question that arises with some frequency in our practice is whether a public entity can adversely possess a property interest against another public entity. The general rule of thumb is that a private entity cannot obtain an interest in real property owned by a public entity through adverse possession. This rule is in part based off of the long-established principle nullum tempus occurrit regi, which means "time does not run against the king."

In California, this common law principle has been affirmed and reaffirmed for over a century in our courts and has been codified by the ...

A recent article from Border Report, "Tijuana residents holding out for more money, slowing construction of border crossing," caught my attention.  Not only because we're advising on the border crossing project on the U.S. side, but also because it raises an interesting valuation issue.

According to the article, property owners in eastern Tijuana, where the new port of entry is going to be built, are holding up the project by demanding more money for their land.  Specifically, the owners want to be paid what the land will be worth once the border crossing is built instead of current value.  These increased payment demands ... 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) exceeded its authority when it imposed a national eviction moratorium. More precisely, in Alabama Association of Realtors v. Department of Health and Human Services, the Court agreed with a district court determination that the CDC acted unlawfully in banning evictions of residential tenants who declare financial need in counties with high COVID-19 rates. In its decision, the Supreme Court concluded, “If a federally imposed eviction moratorium is to continue, Congress must ...

For those of you who missed our recent webinar, "Living on the Edge: Managing Sea Level Rise in California", you can find a recording of the event posted on our website.  My colleagues Ben Rubin and John Erskine provided a great overview of ways to protect existing infrastructure and private property through coastal resiliency, what the models and data are suggesting on the future of sea level rise and the status of pending sea level rise legislation in California. I covered risks and possible solutions for public agencies and property owners, with a focus on how Coastal Commission and ...