Lowball Watch — California

A tip of our hat to Brad Kuhn who runs a blog on California eminent domain, and who reports the settlement of an eminent domain case in Palm Springs, that qualifies for inclusion in our “Lowball Watch” department. The taking involved a 29-acre former Palm Springs mall. The condemnor was a private college (they have […]

Lowball Watch — Pennsylvania

The York Daily Record of April 17, 2018, reports that a York jury awarded $1.25 million for the taking of the old York County Prison (now in private hands), when the York Redevelopment Agency took it by eminent domain. The commissioners (called “Viewers” in Pennsylvania) awarded $65,000, plus $4000 in attorneys fees. But when the […]

Lowball Watch — Pennsylvania

The York Dispatch reports that the Commonwealth Court has affirmed a jury award of $1.25 million for the taking of a 2.9-acre parcel of land with an old, former prison building on it. The Redevelopment Agency paid the owners $65,000, the amount awarded by commissioners. But after a trial, the jury took only 30 minutes […]

Lowball Watch — Ohio

The Chronicle-Telegraph of Lorain County, Ohio, reports that a local judge, after a three day bench trial, rejected the Ohio Turnpike Commission’s offer and deposit of $11,865, and awarded the condemnees $1,093,181 for the taking of 0.338 of an acre out of their 123-acre larger parcel. See Scott Mahoney, Chronicle-Telegraph, March 2, 2018. The report […]

Lowball Watch — California

This one’s a doozy. We are informed that a federal jury in California has just brought in a whopping verdict for the taking of 1000 acres of iron ore bearing land with a mining permit. The subject land is out in the Mojave Desert near Twenty Nine Palms. The feds’ evidence of value was $5.6 […]

Lowball Watch — Virginia

The Martinville Bulletin, 12-29-17, reports that the Virginia DOT deposited $6.28 million for the taking of a truckstop, but settled for $7.2 million, an increase of close to $1 million. Laurence Hammond, VDOT to pay $7.2 million for truck stop closed by Batentout Highway project, for an increasr of $920,000. http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/news/region_and_state/vdot-to-pay-million-for-truck-stop-closed-by-botetourt/article_69d43010-3fcf-5034-882a-8de569ae0695.html

Lowball Watch — Virginia

The Roanoke Times reports that in a taking for road improvements the Virginia DOT offered the owners “less than $1 million,” but a “special jury of landowners” (commissioners?) awarded $1.18 million for the part taken, plus $ $1.94 million in severance damages. After trial, the case settled for a total of $2.97 million. Laurence Hammack, […]

Lowball Watch — Louisiana

An acquaintance sent us a copy of a judgment which discloses that on a condemnor’s deposit of $335,287, a Louisiana trial court awarded $1,397,500, plus interest on the $1,o62,213 difference. The County of Concordia, or the parish as they call it over there, vows to appeal. Biglane v. Board of Commissioners, Docket No. 44712-B, judgment […]

Lowball Watch — California

Word reaches us from San Diego that the Tri-City Medical Center has decided to abandon a condemnation action it had filed earlier to take a three-story medical office building in Oceanside. The condemnor deposited $4.7 million, but after trial, a jury awarded $16.8 million, and the trial court also awarded litigation expenses in the amount of […]

Lowball Watch — Connecticut

Hartford Business.com reports that a trial court in Connecticut (there are no eminent domain juries in the Nutmeg State) ruled that Hartford undercompensated a property owner whose land it took by some $3 million. The city deposited $ 1.98 million, whereas the trial judge awarded $4.8 million. Although the subject property is located near a local […]