Pilling v. City of Healdsburg, CA
Entrepreneur mom fights zoning extortion to build new housing in California
Inclusionary zoning fees make building more expensive. Making something more expensive does not make it more affordable. ...
In re Petition of Manistee County Treasurer for Foreclosure
Fighting home equity theft in Michigan’s unlawful claims process
Chelsea is asking the Michigan Supreme Court to finish what it started in Rafaeli and confirm her right to just compensation without complicated claims procedures and unreasonably tight deadlines. ...
Stilts v. Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s beach expansion law moves public beach onto private property
Stilts filed a lawsuit challenging the Rhode Island law that illegally converts private beachfront property into public property. ...
Sanchez v. Torrez
New Mexico landowners defend property rights from state-sanctioned trespassing
The U.S. Supreme Court's 2021 decision in Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid made it clear that the government cannot force property owners to allow public trespassers on their private land without just compensation. Doing so is an unconstitutional property taking, even if the private land in question happens to be a streambed. ...
Shear Development Co., LLC v. California Coastal Commission
California Coastal Commission unlawfully blocks home construction
Shear Development is asking the California Supreme Court to reverse the CCC's unlawful permit denial, confine the CCC to its proper role under the Coastal Act, and affirm that courts, not agencies, should resolve questions of statutory interpretation ...
Oom Living, LLC v. City of Seattle
Fighting Seattle’s permitting extortion to build new housing
The government may not deny a benefit, even a discretionary one, based on a person's exercise of constitutional rights. Represented at no charge by Pacific Legal Foundation, Jenna and Oom are now fighting back with a state lawsuit challenging Seattle's unconstitutional permitting condition. ...
CTM Holdings LLC v. USDA
Farming family fights government’s illegal restrictions on their livelihood
Iowa attorney Jim Conlan grew up in a farming family, so when considering new investment options, reconnecting with his family legacy through agriculture was a natural fit. But Jim's efforts to support this time-honored industry soon ran headlong into government overreach by regulators that lack his deep respect for farming's critical role in sust ...
Friends of the Crazy Mountains v. Erickson
Defending protections for property owners and respect for property rights
Like much of the American West, the area around Montana's Crazy Mountains—the Crazies—is a checkerboard of federal, state, and private land. Also, as is typical in the western U.S., access to the Crazies' higher-elevation public land is limited and requires permission from private landowners. ...
Heaton et al. v. Biden et al.
Ranching family fights President Biden’s Antiquities Act abuse
Chris Heaton is a sixth-generation landowner and rancher who embodies the rugged individualism, adventurism, and tireless work ethic of the American West. Chris's land, family legacy, and rights have landed in the crosshairs of President Biden's new national monument designation. Represented by PLF at no charge, Chris is fighting back with a federa ...