Eminent Domain

Vega & Overton has a specialized eminent domain practice focused upon representation of private property and business owners and investors in condemnation matters. 

This focus is in contrast with most eminent domain firms that represent both public entities and property and business owners, which means that they have conflicts of interest that arise when an individual approaches them with a dispute against a public entity that they have represented.  The result is that Vega & Overton is a strong advocate for its eminent domain clients because we are not worried about reducing our chances to get future eminent business from the public entities that we oppose. 

Our eminent domain services are as varied as our clients’ needs, and can be applied from the very earliest days of project planning through trial and beyond.  They generally include the following, although there are certainly variations on and different combinations of these themes:

 

Obtaining the maximum relocation benefits for people or businesses being displaced by eminent domain;

Building a case to demonstrate the full value of real property being taken by a public entity;

Demonstrating the value and strength of businesses for the purposes of maximizing the claim for loss of business goodwill;

Proving the harmful effects of government activities upon nearby properties or businesses that are not taken or displaced by the government;

Fighting claims by the government that environmental contamination harms the value of the property to be taken; and

Opposing on legal grounds the government’s or developer’s right to take the property to begin with.

Eminent domain cases are battles of the experts, and require good preparation and teamwork between the attorney, client and expert.  At our disposal are the top experts in the fields of real property and business appraisal, civil engineering, and environmental testing and cleanup, not to mention the myriad experts who can comment upon the operations of specific businesses or industries, or upon site-specific issues such as traffic volume or flooding or zoning, to augment the appraisal analysis performed.

Our philosophy is that the best preparation leads to the best results for our clients.