Eminent Domain Litigation Highlights

 

City of St. Joseph vs. Campbell (Nelson Properties), Buchanan County (Missouri) Circuit Court Case No. 13BU-CV02187. 

 

Landowner damage claim of $612,000 (expert’s opinion).  Jury verdict of $16,000. 

 

BCDC, LLC vs. Water District No. 1 of Johnson County, Johnson County (Kansas) District Court Case No. 14-CV-03292. 

 

Landowner damage claim of $1,029,266. Jury verdict $301,641. 

 

Rys vs. Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City/Kansas, Wyandotte County (Kansas) District Court Case No. 13-CV-1512. 

 

Landowner damage claim of $269,100.  Jury verdict of $55,800. 

 

City of Wichita vs. Global Engineering, Sedgwick County (Kansas) District Court Case No. 12-CV-2366. 

 

Landowner damage claim of $719,200.  Jury Verdict $235,000.

 

Plumlee vs. KDOT, Riley County (Kansas) Case No. 2010-CV-46. 

 

Landowner damage claim of $975,000.  Jury verdict of $243,100.  

 

KETA & V-Plan 345kV Electric Transmission Lines.  Acted as Kansas outside counsel for ITC Great Plains, a Kansas electrical utility company, and its parent ITC Holdings regarding all real estate issues and eminent domain matters for KETA project, a 210-mile, 345kV electric transmission line extending from Spearville, Kansas to Axtell, Nebraska, and western segment of the V-Plan project, a 122 mile, double circuit 345kV electric transmission line extending from Spearville, Kansas to Medicine Lodge Kansas.   

 

Kansas City Mall Associates vs. Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, Wyandotte County (Kansas) Case No. 07-CV-1110. 

 

Landowner damage claim of $16.5 million.  Jury verdict of $6.95 million, reduction of $550,000 from court-appointed appraisers’ award. 

 

KDOT vs. Roeser, Geary County (Kansas) Case No. 05-CV-234. 

 

Landowner damage claim of $1.8 million.  Jury verdict $437,950.  

 

KDOT vs. Glacier Development, Wyandotte County (Kansas) Case No. 03-C-3449. 

 

Landowner damage claim of $6.5 million.  Jury verdict $800,000, reduction of approximately $1.4 million from court-appointed appraisers’ award.  Successfully defended verdict before Kansas Supreme Court, 284 Kan. 476, 161 P.3d 730 (2007).   

 

Foley Equipment vs. KDOT, Saline County (Kanas) Case No.  03-CVC-135. 

 

Landowner damage claim of $665,000.  Jury Verdict $150,554.   

 

Kansas Speedway Eminent Domain Actions and Appeals, Kansas City, Kansas.

Acted as counsel to Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas and it’s development partner Kansas Speedway Corp. regarding real estate issues and in 5 administrative eminent domain actions.  Following successful acquisition of 45 tracts, defended the Unified Government in 35 eminent domain appeals, and litigated one appeal through the Kansas Supreme Court.   

 

Eberth vs. Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Supreme Court, 266 Kan 726, 971 P.2d 1182 (1999).  Secured dismissal by summary judgment of inverse condemnation action arising out of KDOT’s installation of median, and successfully defended action before the Kansas Supreme Court.  Together with a companion case, McDonald’s vs. City of Wichita, 266 Kan 708, 971 P.2d 1189 (1999), established definitive framework for analyzing access and regulation of traffic flow cases, overruling and clarifying prior Kansas Supreme precedent. 

 

Morris vs. Unified Government, Wyandotte County (Kansas) Case No.: Case No. 98 C 6010.

 

Landowner damage claim of $1.3 million.  Jury verdict of $200,000. 

 

Gilbert vs. Kansas Department of Transportation, Shawnee County (Kansas) Case No.: 98-CV-609.

 

Landowner claim of $2.5 million.   Jury verdict $559,000.  

 

Rogosich  vs. Kansas Department of Transportation, Shawnee County (Kansas) Case No.: 95-CV-648;

 

Landowner damage claim of $1.29 million.  Jury verdict of $361,277.   

 

Hales vs. City of Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas Supreme Court, 248 Kan. 181, 804 P.2d 347 (1991). Secured summary judgment with respect to Landowner’s effort to claim damages arising out of installation of raised median, and successfully defended action before the Kansas Supreme Court.  Supreme Court’s opinion established the right of governmental entities to regulate traffic through the use of their police powers, and served as foundation for the Court’s later opinions in Eberth vs. Kansas Department of Transportation, 266 Kan 726, 971 P.2d 1182 (1999) and McDonald’s vs. City of Wichita, 266 Kan 708, 971 P.2d 1189 (1999).  The Hales was utilized as the lead case for a detailed annotation on median installation at 15 ALR5th 1111.