Eminent Domain Report

When a lawsuit involves both inverse condemnation claims and other tort claims, trial courts often bifurcate the proceedings. A recent unpublished opinion from the Third District Court of Appeal, Rainey v. Nevada Irrigation District, 2026 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 231, addresses what happens when findings made in the first phase resolve factual issues common to the claims reserved for the second phase.

Background

Two neighboring property owners sued the Nevada Irrigation District, alleging that water leaking and seeping from the District’s irrigation ditch caused landslides ...

Want to know what's going on with some of Southern California's largest infrastructure projects?  Here's a quick update.

• I-5 Corridor Improvements:  If you live in California, you've almost certainly spent many hours on the 5 freeway.  It runs from the US/Mexico border all the way through Oregon and even up into Canada.  With Southern California's population growth, Caltrans has invested over $3 billion to improve two areas of the I-5 over the next five years:  (i) the segment between the Orange County line and the San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605); and (ii) the segment between the ...