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Author Archive | Michael Rikon

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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June 30, 2021

FEDERAL POWER OF EMINENT DOMAIN CAN BE DELEGATED TO PRIVATE PARTIES

The United States Supreme Court has rendered an usual number of decisions dealing with eminent domain.  On June 29, 2021, the Court decided PennEast Pipeline Co. v New Jersey, 594 U.S. __ (2021).  The Court held that the Federal Government had properly delegated to private companies’ federal authority to condemn necessary rights-of-way in state owned property. The Natural Gas Act regulates the transportation and sale of natural gas in interstate commerce.  The Act requires natural gas companies to obtain from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) a certificate recognizing that… read more

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Posted in Delegated Power of Eminent Domain, Eminent Domain, PennEast Pipeline
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June 21, 2021

The Keystone Pipeline is Dead

The keystone pipeline was an oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States commissioned in 2010 and owned by TC Energy it was to run from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Alberta to refineries in Illinois and Texas and also to Cushing Oklahoma. The pipeline had significant opposition from environmentalists. In 2015, it was temporarily delayed by President Barack Obama. On January 20,2021 President Donald Trump took executive action to move the project forward. On January 2021 President Joe Biden signed an executive order to revoke the permit…. read more

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Posted in Condemnation Procedures, Keystone Pipeline, Partial Takings
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