A short while ago, we featured the cert petition in a case from the Big Island that we’ve been following as various pieces of it went up and down through both the state and federal court systems. See “New (Mike Berger) Cert Petition: ‘This case is the proverbial ‘Exhibit A’ of much that is
Appellate law
CA11: In Eminent Domain, There’s A “Low Bar” For An Owner To Testify About The Value Of His Own Property
A short one from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. In Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC v. 18.27 Acres, No. 19-10705 (Aug. 3, 2020) (unpub.), the court concluded that the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it allowed the property owner to testify about the value of his property.
This…
New Cert Petition: Does A Physical Invasion Taking Require 24/7 Occupation?
Here’s the cert petition that we’ve been waiting to drop in a case we’ve been following. Last we checked in, the Ninth Circuit (with concurral) had denied en banc review, over a dissental.
In Cedar Point Nursery v. Shiroma, 923 F.3d 524 (May 8, 2019), a 2-1 panel of the Ninth Circuit…
New Stinky Cert Petition: By Wiping Out Nuisance Claims, Right-To-Farm Act Is A Taking
Here’s a cert petition that we’ve been waiting to drop in a case we’ve been following. This one asks whether a state legislature’s virtual elimination of a cause of action is a taking.
The harsh reality is that farms and ranches can stink. But in Right to Farm Acts, many state legislatures, Indiana’s…
New (Mike Berger) Cert Petition: “This case is the proverbial ‘Exhibit A’ of much that is wrong [with takings law].”
Here’s the latest in a case we’ve been following for what seems like forever. This is also a fact situation that has resulted in litigation in a variety of different fora, and at times has seemed like the final exam question in a Federal Courts law school class. We wrote about this latest…
Stay In Your Lane, Eminent Domain: California’s Eminent Domain Procedures Aren’t “Imported” Into Inverse Cases
This one is California process-specific, but we think the California Supreme Court’s opinion in Weiss v. People ex rel Dep’t of Transportation, No. S248141 (July 16, 2020), is still worth a read for you non-Golden Staters.
Why, you ask? Well, we all have been in the situation where, just before you are about to…
A Not Too “Takey” Takings Opinion From The Federal Circuit
It was mostly a win for the property owners in today’s Federal Circuit opinion in Hardy v. United States, No. 19-1793 (July 15, 2020).
The opinion isn’t heavy on the takings doctrine. It spent most of the time affirming the Court of Federal Claims’ conclusion that the plaintiff-owners owned property under Georgia law (their…
And The Land We Belong To Is Grand: What I Learned From McGirt v. Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! where reservations were created and remain!
And the waivin’ claims, won’t abate
Cos’ the claims come years behind the pain!
Things I learned from yesterday’s Supreme Court opinion in McGirt v. Oklahoma (the one where the majority concluded that for purposes of the Major Crimes Act, eastern Oklahoma is still part of a reservation):…
We Join Clint Schumacher For The 50th Episode Of The Eminent Domain Podcast To Talk COVID Takings
We joined friend and colleague Clint Schumacher for the milestone 50th episode of his essential Eminent Domain Podcast.
If you are not already a subscriber and regular listener, you should be. Clint features interesting guests (present company excepted) and listening in is a good way to keep our community together, especially when many of…
Amicus Brief In Virginia Oyster Takings Case: City’s Purposeful Pollution Of River Is A Taking Under The Virginia Constitution
Here’s the amicus brief filed yesterday in a Virginia Supreme Court case we’ve been following.
This is a case at the intersection of property and takings law, and environmental protection. Several Nansemond River oystermen own a lease from the state for the riverbed, which among other things, allows them to harvest some of the…


