Steal This Land – Is Eminent Domain Always in the Public Interest?

Posted on January 5 2015 by Gabriela Ocampo

There exists a long-standing U.S. tradition of recognizing the right of a federal, state, or local government to purchase for fair market value any property that is needed for legitimate public purposes. This right of eminent domain, however, has often been abused by corrupt politicians who seize lands for questionable or illegitimate purposes such as shopping malls, condo complexes, sports stadiums, etc. Not only is the land taken for dubious reasons, but the owners are often pressured into accepting “take-it-or-leave-it,” low-ball offers.

If you are facing the prospect of losing your property due to eminent domain or inverse condemnation, we at Century Law Group are well-equipped to come to your aid. When government agencies like Metro, Caltrans, and local city entities intrude upon the rights of private property owners, we stand up and fight for the little guy. Ours is a small, focused firm that has carved out a niche in representing private property owners in eminent domain project disputes. We never represent the other side, so we never have a conflict of interest.

Cities often attempt to throw up an easement on a property or simply seize it outright when they believe they can “save the city money” buy paying property owners unfair compensation. We have acquired, over the years, advanced negotiation skills that have frequently averted unfair treatment from condemning agencies and other governmental groups. In fact, in nine our of 10 cases, we manage to negotiate a pre-trial settlement since our reputation for success in these sorts of cases precedes us.

We take any client who is in need of help in defending him or her self against governments attempting to acquire their private property based on eminent domain. This includes both commercial and residential clients. If, as in most cases, we obtain a fair offer without having to step a foot inside the courtroom, we advise our clients to accept it. However, we are well-equipped to win in open court when unfair offers are persisted in.

Century Law Firm has four locations, which are spread out across the state of California: San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Corona. We possesses extensive experience at handling eminent domain and other real estate dispute cases. Our track record of victory is a warning to over-reaching government agencies and an re-assurance to private property owners. We fight for you to obtain either the continuation of your rights to your property or compensation for its loss. We never give up until justice is done.