Tennessean celebrates legal victory after Forest Service abandons land grab

Knoxville, Tennessee; April 21, 2026: A Tennessean’s seven-year legal battle for the right to use his own land has ended in a resounding victory. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee finalized a settlement between Dr. Gregory Ringenberg and the U.S. Forest Service yesterday, in which the agency acknowledged that it does not have a right to access or build a public road through Dr. Ringenberg’s property, which borders the Cherokee National Forest in southeastern Tennessee.

“We are thrilled to see a victory for our client, who has spent years fighting the Forest Service’s attempts to claim a right-of-way over his private property without paying for it,” said Damien Schiff, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation, which represented Dr. Ringenberg at no cost. “The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is clear—the government cannot take private property without payment of just compensation. This settlement respects and affirms that right.”

In 2019, Dr. Ringenberg bought a roughly 140-acre parcel of land to build a family retreat in the Cherokee National Forest. Shortly after buying it, Dr. Ringenberg learned that the Forest Service alleged a right to build a public road to nowhere on his property. The agency claimed a road easement deed from a previous owner of the property, but that easement was not recorded on Dr. Ringenberg’s chain of title. Even more egregiously, the would-be grantor who attempted to give the Forest Service an easement had sold the property three years prior.

Dr. Ringenberg challenged the agency’s land grab in federal court, arguing that the government’s easement was invalid and that, under the Fifth Amendment, the government can’t demand public access to private property without paying just compensation. After nearly seven years, the parties agreed to a settlement in which the Forest Service disclaimed any interest in Dr. Ringenberg’s property. An order signed by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee formally acknowledged that settlement and concluded the litigation yesterday.

This successful settlement builds on a previous PLF case fought by Wil Wilkins, whose 2023 victory at the U.S. Supreme Court strengthened Fifth Amendment protections for property owners facing procedural manipulations by government agencies. PLF continues to fight for property rights across the country, challenging government abuses of power in quiet title actions, home equity theft, and more.

Pacific Legal Foundation represents Dr. Ringenberg at no cost. The case is Dr. Gregory Ringenberg v. United States.