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Archive | 2021

July 27, 2021

What Happens to My Mortgage When the Property is Condemned?

A mortgagee upon condemnation of the property is not without resources.  The mortgagee wants to be paid the principal balance on the secured debt. With respect to the mortgage payoff, “It is well established that, upon the vesting of title in a condemnation proceeding, all lien interests in the subject property by virtue of mortgages, unpaid taxes, or unsatisfied judgments, are extinguished (see, In re County of Nassau [Gelb – Siegel], 24 NY2d 621, 626; Copp v Sands Point Marina, 17 NY2d 291, 293; Muldoon v Mid-Bronx Holding Corp., 287… read more

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Posted in Condemnation, Equitable Lien, Mortgage
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July 20, 2021

Kelo Remains Untouched

The US Supreme Court denied a request to hear an appeal of a Chicago landowner whose property was condemned by the City to allow the expansion of the Bloomer Chocolate Company on June 25, 2021. The property owner took issue with the high court’s 2005 Kelo v City of New London decision, which said that local governments have the ability to take away private property for economic development use.  Three Justices, Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch said the Court should have heard the case, one shy of the… read more

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Posted in Kelo, Public Purpose
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July 7, 2021

Napeague (Truck) Beach – It’s Not Over Yet

Napeague Beach in Amagansett, East Hampton, New York has been used by the public for decades.  In 2009, Homeowner Associations above the beach commenced an action claiming that they owned title to the beach.  They also claimed that the use of the beach by trucks driving on the beach and parking whilst enjoying the ocean constituted a nuisance. After a 5-day trial in the Supreme Court in Riverhead, the Trial Court, Hon. Ralph T. Gazzillo dismissed the action.  The Trial Court found that plaintiffs did not establish their ownership to… read more

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Posted in Napeague Beach, Prescriptive Right of Access, Public Trust Doctrine
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July 2, 2021

SCOTUS Hands Down Another Important Property Rights Case: Pakdel v City and County of San Francisco

On June 28, 2021, the Supreme Court rendered a unanimous per curiam decision, Pakdel v City and County of San Francisco, 594 U.S. ____ (2021). The lawsuit involved a regulatory taking claim.  The City had required that as a condition of converting a tenancy-in-common to a condominium, that the owner must first offer any tenant a lifetime lease.  The Ninth Circuit held that the Plaintiffs, even though they requested two exemptions, did not present a final decision and, hence, their claim was not ripe under Williamson County Regional Planning Comm’n… read more

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Posted in Per Se Taking, Regulatory Taking
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July 1, 2021

Cedar Point Nursery – Big Win for Property Rights

The Supreme Court decision in Cedar Point Nursery v Hassid, 549 U.S. ___ (2021), decided on June 23, 2021, was hailed as a “big win for property rights.”  The 6 to 3 decision significantly bolsters protection of private property rights. The case involved the challenge by two farmers of a California regulation that required farmers to allow union organizers onto their property three hours a day for 120 days each year.  The farmers argued that the regulation was equivalent to a time-limited government easement and this constituted a “per se”… read more

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Posted in Inverse Condemnation, Per Se Taking
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