Fair v. Continental Resources
Nebraska widower fights government-sanctioned home equity theft
The outside world came to a screeching halt for Kevin Fair in 2013. His wife, Terry, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and Kevin had to quit his job so he could care for her at their Scottsbluff, Nebraska, home where they'd lived for nearly two decades—the home was a wedding gift from Kevin's mother. ...
Flying Crown Subdivision v. Alaska Railroad Corporation
Planes, trains, and property rights: battling government’s easement abuses
Represented at no charge by PLF, the subdivision's homeowners appealed the lower court's decision at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the Alaska Railroad from enshrining easement holders' exclusionary powers at the expense of private property rights. ...
Ariyan Inc. v. Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans
Fighting for timely just compensation for government-damaged property
Hemorrhaging money and time, and unable to repair their properties or restore their businesses, these small businesses and property owners are asking the Supreme Court to confirm their constitutional right to reasonably timely just compensation. ...
John Williams, et al. v. Alameda County, et al.
California housing providers fight for the right to possess their own property
The government cannot destroy owners' fundamental right to repossess their property by prohibiting their ability to evict bad tenants. Represented at no charge by Pacific Legal Foundation, Sheanna, John, Jacqueline, Michael, and Robert are fighting back. These small-time rental property owners and the nonprofit Housing Providers of America filed a ...
Medeiros v. Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Hunters’ ‘right to retrieve’ tramples property owners’ right to exclude trespassers
Jim Medeiros and his family run their own business, White Oak Meadows, on land they bought in 2012 in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Located outside of Richmond, the family cultivates environmentally responsible forest and farm products, including beef and poultry raised solely on grasses and native vegetation. Ranching can be a tough-enough indust ...
Vondra v. City of Billings
Local government wields unannounced, warrantless search power over private businesses and home practitioners
Short stints in a salon and a chiropractor's office are all it took for Theresa Vondra to discover her true passion: helping people achieve total body wellness through massage therapy. She graduated from massage therapy school in 2006 and spent several years working for others before starting her own practice in Billings, Montana, where she was ...
Foss v. City of New Bedford, et al.
State’s tax takings law enriches private company with senior citizen’s home and life savings
Life has not been easy for Deborah Foss in recent years. The 66-year-old grandmother lives in Massachusetts on a small, fixed income from Social Security. She suffers from several medical conditions, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, COPD, and neuropathy. Despite these struggles, Deborah cared for her ailing mother for the last 10 years of he ...
Hall v. Meisner
Michigan families fight to close state’s home equity theft loophole
When Tawanda and Prentiss Hall fell behind on their property taxes, they did what many financially strapped homeowners do: set up a payment plan with the local government. They didn't want to lose the Southfield, Michigan home where they lived with their children. The Oakland County treasurer ended the plan, however, with the tax debt standing a ...
Ralston, et al. v. County of San Mateo, CA, et al.
Government’s regulatory purgatory demotes property rights to second-class status
Courts cannot require Randy to ask the county to allow a land use it will not approve, via a process that does not exist, simply to make his takings case "ready" for the court's review. ...