Just compensation is finally awarded to the Koontz family
Palatka, FL; March 31, 2016: More than two decades after launching a lawsuit for their property rights — and three years after winning a landmark victory in the case at the U.S. Supreme Court — the family of the late Coy Koontz Sr. has finally been reimbursed by the Palatka-based St. Johns River Water Management … ...
Koontz’s decades-long battle for property rights comes to a just end
Back in 1994, Coy Koontz, Sr. sued a Florida land use agency for placing unconstitutional demands on his application to develop a couple acres of commercial property located at the intersection of two major highways. Today, over two decades later, his battle for his property rights has finally come to an end—and a just one … ...
Has the California Coastal Commission read Koontz?
Evidently not. This week the Commission is meeting in Ventura, California, and one of the items it’s considering is a request from the City of Ventura to change the zoning on a few undeveloped coastal parcels, to accommodate a possible residential development proposal. The Commission’s staff is concerned because it would rather have ...
Has the Forest Service read Koontz?
Earlier this week, the United States Forest Service published for public comment proposed changes to the agency’s manual governing special use permits for ski resorts on National Forest land. The proposal comes a few years after the ski industry successfully sued the Forest Service for trying to implement similar proposals without first mak ...
Washington trial court fumbles the ball in a post-Koontz case
Since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Management District last year, I have been on a speaking tour with a prominent government attorney, discussing the case’s impact on Washington law. One important point on which we both agreed was that Koontz clarified that an unlawful exactions case falls within the … ...
Heard through the grapevine: Ninth Circuit holds Koontz allows government price controls
Last week, the Ninth Circuit decided the remand of Horne v. USDA, the raisin case that the Supreme Court overturned last term. The case previously drew attention for what it had to say about Williamson County — the case that keeps essentially all takings cases from federal court. The most recent round in this litigation addresses … ...
PLF scores another Koontz victory
Today, the Florida Court of Appeal handed our client, Coy Koontz, Jr., an important victory following PLF’s U.S. Supreme Court win in this case last June. A three-judge panel of the Florida Court of Appeal held that the Koontz family is entitled to damages under Florida law for the period of time during which the St. … ...
Florida: Koontz spurs possible legislative fix to extortion
As our Managing Attorney for Hawaii, Robert Thomas, reports, a bill (HR 1077) is making its way through the Florida Legislature that would prohibit local governments from imposing any kind of exaction (including monetary ones) on land-use permit applicants, unless the exaction bears an essential nexus and rough proportionality to the impact of the ...
PLF client Coy Koontz Jr. is honored by Owners’ Counsel of America
SACRAMENTO, CA; January 27, 2014: Coy Koontz Jr., who won a landmark victory for property rights last year at the United States Supreme Court, has been honored with the 2014 Crystal Eagle Award by the Owners’ Counsel of America (OCA), a nationwide network of the country’s leading eminent domain attorneys. The award was presented Sat ...
Coy Koontz, Jr., receives Crystal Eagle Award in New Orleans
Coy Koontz, Jr., received the Crystal Eagle Award today from Owners Counsel of America, an organization of distinguished eminent domain attorneys who specialize in representing landowners throughout the nation. Presented by PLF’s Robert Thomas from Hawaii and myself at OCA’s annual meeting in New Orleans, Coy received his award for hi ...