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You MUST pay the rent!
In the wake of the Supreme Court's "anything goes" eminent domain decision in Kelo v. New London, states across the country began reconsidering whether state law should permit such lax, abuse-encouraging standards. Even the Governor of Connecticut has called for a moratorium on the exercise of eminent domain, freezing the development that was at issue in the case.
Meanwhile, what are the developers who won Kelo doing? They're planning to sue the litigants for back rent for the time spent fighting to keep their property. One owner allegedly owes over $300,000. They intend to press this claim even though, according to the residents' lawyer, "the [developer] had agreed to forgo rents as part of a pretrial agreement in which the residents in turn agreed to a hastened trial schedule."
Un-fucking-believable.
(Via Protein Wisdom)
Posted by Charles Star on 08/18/2005 | Permalink
Comments
Your right! It is unbelievable!! And to add insult to injury, while this is happening here, we are paying those 2,500 "settlers" in the Gaza strip between $250,000 and $500,000 per person to move out!
Posted by: Jim | Aug 19, 2005 9:25:02 AM
I'm not sure whether to be alarmed or reassured that I agree with the conservatives about this. (The backwardness of the New London decision, I mean.)
Posted by: Damian | Aug 19, 2005 12:00:04 PM
Most of the opposition Kelo came from the right, not the left. Sincere small-government conservatives loathe the unchecked government authority to seize private property. The opposition on the left was mostly limited to hard core anti-corporatists who oppose government collusion with developers.
When the decision came down I expected MORE criticism from the right that eminent domain abuse was the big government chickens coming home to roost in the nest that the left built.
You should be reassured, Damian. I'm glad that the attacks are coming from both sides - the uproar has already gotten legislation passed in Alabama limiting eminent domain and I'm hopeful that it will spread across the country.
Posted by: Charles | Aug 19, 2005 12:12:33 PM
