Monthly Archives: December 2020

December 31st, 2020 — In News & Events

New Oregon Complaint Alleges Eviction Moratorium Extension Is a Taking

In a complaint filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon against Oregon’s governor (in her official capacity), the City of Portland, and Multnomah County, Plaintiffs assert that “several provisions of law, including state statutes, executive orders, and municipal ordinances” amount to a per se taking of Plaintiffs’ property. More specifically, Plaintiffs alledge that the combination of these measures significantly impairs Plaintiffs’ rental contracts, thereby requiring that  just compensation be paid.  Visit OCA member Robert Thomas’ Inverse Condemnation Blog for more details about this recent filing and the case itself. 

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December 18th, 2020 — In OCA Blog

Hawaii: State Takings Are “Self-Executing” Constitutional Violations (Not Torts Or Breaches Of Contract), Subject To A Six-Year Statute Of Limitations

In DW Aina Lea Dev., LLC v. State of Hawaii Land Use Comm’n, No. SCCQ-19-156 (Dec. 17, 2020), the unanimous Hawaii Supreme Court held that the statute of limitations governing a regulatory takings claim under the Hawaii Constitution’s “takings or damagings” clause is six years. The case started out in a Hawaii state court, and was removed to the U.S. District Court by the State Land Use Commission. The district court dismissed the state takings claim for missing the limitations cut-off. Hawaii has not adopted a statute of limitations expressly for takings or inverse condemnation claims. Thus, the question before Hawaii’s highest court was what is the closest analogue claim. If there isn’t one, Hawaii has a “catch all” statute (six years) for civil claims. For more about the case read OCA member Robert Thomas’ Inverse Condemnation Blog. To read the opinion itself, click here.

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December 11th, 2020 — In News & Events

Virginia Supreme Court Rules No Taking in Oystermen Case

In an opinion just released by the Virginia Supreme Court involving OCA members Joshua Baker and Joe Waldo titled Johnson v. City of Suffolk, the court ruled that Virginia oystermen did not present a viable takings claim to obtain compensation when the City of Suffolk and its Sanitation District dumped raw sewage into the Nansemond river and declared a “condemnation zone” (i.e., no oyster harvesting). Specifically, the court concluded that the leases of Commonwealth-owned bottomlands in the Nansemond River did not confer a property interest worthy of constitutional protection. We are obviously disappointed in this ruling and await word as to whether the defendants intend to appeal. For more about the case and the opinion, read Robert Thomas’ Inverse Condemnation Blog.  

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December 10th, 2020 — In News & Events

Dwight Merriam Chosen By Connect Real Estate News As One of Only 50 Lawyers for 2020 Award

In recognizing Dwight Merriam for its first annual New England Trailblazers publication last year, Connecticut Law Tribune called the four-decade legal veteran “a major figure in American planning law.” Based in Weatogue, CT, Merriam represents land owners, developers, governments, and individuals in land use matters. The Connecticut Law Tribune says Merriam is “one of just a handful of nationally-recognized true planner-lawyers, fully credentialed in both professions.” It was Merriam’s desire to advocate for individual rights that drew him away from pursuing a career in planning to one in the law during his formative years, according to the Tribune. Merriam is a Fellow and Past President of the American Institute of Certified Planners; a former Director of the American Planning Association; a former chair of APA’s Planning and Law Division; a former chair of the American Bar Association’s national Section of State and Local Government Law; the Connecticut member of Owners’ Counsel of America; a former Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors; a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation; a member of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute National Advisory Board; a Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation; a Counselor of Real Estate; a member of the AARPI, and a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. Merriam has taught land use law at the University of Memphis, the University of Bridgeport, Vermont Law School, the University of Connecticut School of Law, and the Quinnipiac University School of Law. Merriam has published more than 200 articles and 13 […]

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