Voluntary Action Cannot be a Taking (Naturally)

Posted: September 27, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Regulatory Takings | Comments Off on Voluntary Action Cannot be a Taking (Naturally)

Illustrating the principle that voluntariness is a defense to a takings claim, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently ruled that a Florida hospital could not challenge a cap on reimbursements for providing medical treatment to federal detainees because the hospital voluntarily subjected itself to the requirement to provide medical care according to these terms. The decision in Baker County Medical Services, Inc. v. U.S. Attorney General was issued on August 14, 2014. Read the rest of this entry »

The asserted “right to defend” coastal property

Posted: September 25, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Regulatory Takings | Comments Off on The asserted “right to defend” coastal property

The California Court of Appeals has issued an interesting decision rejecting a takings claim based on restrictions imposed by the California Coastal Commission on landowners’ alleged “right to defend” their properties from coastal erosion. Following a serious storm that destroyed erosion control structures protecting two neighboring properties on the coastal bluff in Encinitas, California, the Commission granted the owners permission to construct new coastal erosion structures.  However, the Commission took the (relatively new and unusual) step of limiting the permits for the new structures to twenty years, giving rise to the takings issue in the case. Read the rest of this entry »

Government Warnings Are Not Takings

Posted: September 23, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Regulatory Takings | Comments Off on Government Warnings Are Not Takings

Last week, in Dimare Fresh, Inc. v. United States, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims affirmed that, after all, there really are some categorical limits to takings liability. The case arose from a public advisory issued by the Food and Drug Administration identifying certain types of tomatoes as the apparent source of a salmonella outbreak – a link that was ultimately demonstrated not to exist.   Tomato producers sued under the Takings Clause seeking just compensation for the economic losses they suffered following collapse of the market for tomatoes as a result of the FDA’s public warning.  The claims court, citing a persuasive pile of precedent, dismissed the claim, relying on the following principle:  “A regulatory takings claim is not plausible and cannot proceed when the government action at issue has no legal effect on the plaintiff’s property interest. Advisory pronouncements, even those with significant financial impact on the marketplace, are not enough to effect a taking of property under the Fifth Amendment.” Plaintiff’s counsel has vowed an appeal.

Takings Conference, Friday, September 19

Posted: September 15, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Takings Conference, Friday, September 19

On Friday, September 19, 2014, the 17th Annual Conference on Litigating Takings Challenges to Land Use and Environmental Regulations will be held at UC Davis School of Law in Davis, California. The event is sponsored by Vermont Law School, UC Davis School of Law, Georgetown University Law Center and many others.   The speakers include numerous experts from academia as well attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Congressional Research Service, the California Attorney General’s Office, the New York State Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, the California Coastal Commission, the American Securitization Forum, as well as private and public interest practice.
The conference will feature a keynote “Appreciation of Joe Sax,” presented by Holly Doremus, who has the honor of sitting in Joe’s former seat, the James H. House and Hiram H. Hurd Professor of Environmental Regulation at UC Berkeley. Conference panels will address the long-term doctrinal and practical implications of Koontz, the latest permutations on the parcel as a whole issue, the controversial idea of “taking” underwater mortgages, Brandt and the rails to trails program, takings and water management, and the takings implications of adapting to sea level rise caused by climate change. Details are available here

Space is still available at the conference (go here to register). In addition, copies of the conference papers and audio recordings will be available after the conference. Articles based on conference papers will be published in an upcoming edition of the Vermont Law Review

Coastal Retreat and the Takings Clause

Posted: September 14, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Physical Takings, Regulatory Takings | Comments Off on Coastal Retreat and the Takings Clause

The recent decision by the federal District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina in the case of Town of Nags Head v. Toloczko, provides some insight into the potential obstacles presented by the Takings Clause to the use of nuisance-abatement ordinances to effect orderly retreat from eroding shores in the era of climate change.

In November 2009, a powerful storm hit Nags Head, North Carolina, including the Toloczkos’ beachfront cottage. The storm caused considerable damage to the property, including leaving the septic system exposed.   In addition, while erosion had been a chronic problem for the Toloczkos, the 2009 storm substantially eroded the remaining beach in front of their property, leaving the cottage on the dry sand portion of the beach.

The Town declared the cottage a “nuisance” under a local ordinance which defined a storm- or erosion-damaged coastal structure a “public nuisance” when (1) the structure is “in danger of collapsing,” (2) the damaged structure or debris creates a “likelihood of personal or property damage,” or (3) the structure or debris “is located in whole or in part in a public trust area or public land.” In response to the Town’s request, the Toloczkos declined to remove the damaged cottage. Citing the second and third provisions of the ordinance, the Town filed suit seeking to abate the nuisance and penalties for failure to comply with the removal order.   (Subsequently, following completion of a beach renourishment project, the Town concluded that the cottage could safely remain in place but continued to pursue recovery of civil penalties.)  The Toloczkos filed counterclaims alleging, among other things, a taking of their property. Read the rest of this entry »