How's this for a surprise: City seized his lot and sold it (Eminent Domain in New Jersey)

http://www.nj.com/ ^ | 7/11/05 | STEVE CHAMBERS

[Melas]

I'm not buying it. Even with the new ruling, the constitutional requirement of compensation is still in effect.

[taxcontrol]

If they can sell it to the developer for $60,000, then it is logical to assume the fair market value of the property is .....$60,000.

[Ronaldus Magnus Reagan]

I'm buying it. The town set the price (14K) and there is no negotiation. Liberalism is showing it's ugly face once again.

[Loyal Buckeye]

$60,000 or more.

It frosts me to see some two-bit politician or govt. worker have the right to take someone's property.

[Sacajaweau]

I'm not buying it either. There is a notification process attached to Eminent Domain. It may be that he has failed to answer a "clean it up" order, received a "we cleaned it up" billing and failed to pay.

[NJ_gent]

"Later, he would discover the city set aside $14,730 as compensation for him"

There's his compensation. He can take it or leave it, but either way, he doesn't own that land. Of course, he never did own the land if the government can take it at will. It's inevitable that a property owner, defending his property with his life, will be murdered by stormtroopers of the state seeking to seize his property.

[Sir Gawain]

It's never too soon to buy ammo.

[Leo Carpathian]

Later, he would discover the city set aside $14,730 as compensation for him, then turned around and sold the lot for $60,000 to developer Wayne Alston, a former city councilman who went to prison in the 1990s on corruption charges.

If mafia did it, it would be stealing, extortion, if government does it it's for "public good".

[NJ_gent]

"There is a notification process attached to Eminent Domain."

And if they attempted notification, that requirement has been met. There is no requirement that you actually receive the notice; only that said notice was attempted in 'good faith'.

[Dems_R_Losers]

If mafia did it, it would be stealing, extortion, if government does it it's for "public good".

In most of New Jersey, mafia and government are one and the same.

[Nov3]

I'm not buying it.

No the jailed developer did and the city pocketed 60,000.

[Sacajaweau]

Ya know what....you're right and I know it from experience. I made an.....oh, no.......ASSumption.

[KarlInOhio]

And if they attempted notification, that requirement has been met. There is no requirement that you actually receive the notice; only that said notice was attempted in 'good faith'.

"But Mr. Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months."
"Oh yes, well, as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything."
"But the plans were on display..."
"On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."
"That's the display department."
"With a flashlight."
"Ah, well, the lights had probably gone."
"So had the stairs."
"But look, you found the notice, didn't you?"
"Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on display on the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard.'"

[D Rider]

Speaking of stormtroopers... One of the funny things about the Krystalnacht, after the Jewish property was destroyed. Was that Hitler railed against the Jews saying, in effect, that now because of the damage that was caused by the good German people as the result of Jewish greed, the good German people would then have to pay all the insurance damage claims resulting from the good German peoples actions, (against the greedy Jews.) Therefore all Jewish property was then confiscated to pay for the damages that resulted from Jewish greed.

How close to that kind of insane/pretzel logic are we now in Amerika, when a property is taken for 14k and turned around and sold for a discounted 60k and that is considered fair and legal?

[FatherFig1o155]

I see notices in my local newspaper every week.

I know local governments have to publish these notices to do sheriff's auctions.

I wonder if it's the same case here?

[Orange1998]

you can say that again.

[CGASMIA68]

Blah Blah Bla Blah bla bla blahhh................
Participate,Vote the bastards out and quite yer damn bitching.....

[mollynme]

The rest of the story:

Shennett never claimed the money, and instead sued the city. In May, Superior Court Judge Robert J. Passero, sitting in Paterson, agreed the price paid to Shennett seemed too low and appointed three neutral parties to reconsider compensation

But Shennet doesn't want anything they might come up with. He just wants his land back. Does not look like he's going to get it.

[muawiyah]

This is Jersey, right? Satisfaction is available for a price. These guys should be doing everything they can to get title back into the owner's hands.