Eminent Domain Report

The regulations implementing the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (the “Uniform Act” or “Act”) have not been amended since 2005. In 2019, the U.S. Department of Transportation promulgated proposed regulations. After extensive comment, the final rule was passed and circulated on May 3, 2024. It went into effect on June 3, 2024. This article summarizes some of the major changes to the Uniform Act. … 

When a property owner brings a regulatory taking / inverse condemnation claim based on a city or county’s zoning decisions, the owner often provides context and history, including public statements made by staff, board members or city council members.  Are those public statements protected speech and therefore subject to California’s Anti-SLAPP statute?  A recent California Court of Appeal decision, City of Redondo Beach v. 9300 Wilshire, provides some context on what is and what is not permissible.  … 

Despite California’s record high levels of precipitation in 2023, water scarcity remains a pressing issue. Governments have turned to using the power of eminent domain to acquire investor-owned utilities in an effort to improve water service and costs for their communities. This complex process, known as municipalization, contains significant legal hurdles for governments because investor-owned utilities are uniquely empowered to challenge such takeovers.

In Nossaman’s California Water Views – 2024 Outlook, we explore the legal framework of condemnation actions ...

Jillian Friess Leivas recently represented IRWA Chapter 67 (Orange County) at the 2024 Region 1 Spring Forum in Las Vegas, Nevada as the Chapter’s President-Elect and International Director. IRWA Region 1 encompasses all chapters within California, Nevada and Arizona.

During the forum, Jillian was awarded the IRWA Region 1 Young Professional of the Year Award. The award recognizes association members who have demonstrated a commitment to the industry at the Chapter, Region and/or International level of the association in terms of participation, contribution and service ...

The regulations in 49 CFR Part 24 implementing 42 USC Ch. 61, generally known as the “Uniform Act,” are being updated for the first time since 2005. New regulations are set to take effect on June 3, 2024 (the “Rule”). We will be discussing specific aspects of the new Rule in future posts. Please contact us with any specific questions in the meantime. 

In general, the new Rule provides that caps on certain benefits, limits on waiver valuations and conflict of interest have increased. Cost of living adjustment will be allowed to increase maximum waiver and benefit levels over time ...

Aleene Madikians and I recently authored the article “Mitigating Damages—Condemning Replacement or Substitute Property” for the May/June 2024 issue of the International Right of Way Association (IRWA) newsletter, Right of Way. In the article we discuss, among other topics, severance damages from 'partial takings'. … 

Dodge, duck, dip, dive and… dodge. An interesting case from the United States Supreme Court yesterday. Interesting because of what it says, and interesting because of what it very explicitly declined to say.

The question presented in DeVillier v. Texas, 601 U.S. ___ (2024) was whether the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment was “self-executing”. That is, whether a landowner could sue a State for money directly under the Takings Clause, even if there is no statute specifically creating a cause of action (and where the closest statute very expressly does not provide a remedy ...

With its expansion into Texas, Nossaman is enjoying more opportunities to assist public entities with large and significant public works projects.  These projects will help to shape the infrastructure being developed and integrated throughout the United States.  The recent addition of two partners with vast experience in eminent domain law, particularly as applied in the Lone Star State, will fortify Nossaman’s efforts to assist clients with their projects so that they progress seamlessly from start to finish. …

On April 12, 2024, in Sheetz v. County of El Dorado, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overruled more than two decades of California precedent, holding that legislatively established development impact fee programs must have an essential nexus and a rough proportionality to the impacts from the proposed development project on which they are being applied. The full ramifications of this ruling are still yet to be decided, however, as the Supreme Court left open the possibility of applying the nexus/proportionality tests in a more deferential manner when the development impact ...

Most private development projects in California trigger some sort of discretionary public approval, whether it be environmental review, zone changes, permits, or other forms of entitlement approvals.  As part of that approval process, public agencies are more frequently demanding certain off-site public improvements to accommodate the proposed private development.  Such improvements could include, for example, street widenings to accommodate additional traffic, pump stations for additional water capacity, or flood improvements to address drainage or run-off concerns.  ...