Facing Eminent Domain? Don’t Give Up Without A Fight.
Under state and federal eminent domain laws, government entities and other condemning authorities can expropriate private property for public use. If you are a property owner who stands to lose your home, commercial real estate property or farmland to eminent domain, do not give up without a fight. By working with a tenacious legal team, you stand a chance of retaining your private property.
At Spragins, Barnett & Cobb, PLC, our team of attorneys advocates strongly for the rights of individual and corporate landowners throughout Tennessee. Founded in 1897, we bring decades of combined experience to the table for our clients. Government entities know that when we are on your side, we are prepared to fight assertively to keep your property in your own hands.
Getting The Maximum Fair Market Value For Your Land
The Constitution of Tennessee ensures that landowners have the right to “just compensation” for residential, agricultural and commercial property taken under eminent domain. In Tennessee, “just compensation” means the fair market value of the property. However, the interpretation of fair market value can be very loose. Two appraisers may have very different opinions as to the fair market value of the same property.
Do not accept the first offer that an appraiser makes. To receive the maximum value for your land, it is critical to have attorneys on your side who know how to negotiate aggressively. We bring in our own appraisers and are not afraid to bring the matter to trial to receive a fair decision from a judge.
The government may also only take a portion of a landowner’s property and a landowner may also incur another type of damages called “incidental damages”. We will evaluate your case and see if this maybe applicable to your situation.
In most cases, if we take on representation of you, we will accept your case on a contingency fee basis and base our percentage fee only on the amount we recover for you which is over and above the amount that the government offered to pay you.
For additional information on Eminent Domain cases, please see the article written by partner, Charles H. Barnett, III, on our website “Eminent Domain Basics” – https://www.spraginslaw.com/news-articles/eminent-domain-basics-by-charles-h-barnett-iii/
Work With Our Strong Legal Team
Firm partners Charles H. Barnett, III and Sara E. Barnett have handled countless eminent domain cases, working tirelessly to secure the best outcome available for our clients. Reach out to us today to get us in your corner. To ask a question or schedule a consultation, please call our Jackson office at 731-300-1592 or send us an email.