News
Unholy Seizure? Pope’s Childhood Home Eminent Domain Controversy Updates
July 12, 2025
In the quiet town of Dolton, Illinois, a simple brick house at 212 East 141st Place is at the center of a big legal fight that has caught worldwide attention….
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CTA Red Line Extension: Full Speed Ahead as CTA Begins Condemning Private Property for the Project
June 30, 2023
The extension of the Red Line through Chicago’s South Side has been talked about since the late 1960s. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) formally announced the Red Line Extension project…
Illinois Road Projects Along Route 31 and Route 47 in McHenry County
March 28, 2022
The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) is busy appraising property and making initial written offers of just compensation to owners on two large road projects in McHenry County: –Illinois Route…
President Biden Signs Historic Public Infrastructure Bill
December 13, 2021
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), one of the largest infrastructure packages in decades. The IIJA is projected…
IDOT Road Project Impacting Private Property Owners Along IL-47 from Yorkville to Sugar Grove
February 26, 2021
The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) has begun its land acquisition process in Kendall and Kane Counties for the improvement of IL Route 47 from Yorkville to Sugar Grove. IDOT appraisers…
Do Illinois Condemnors Have A Right To Enter Private Property Prior To An Eminent Domain Lawsuit?
October 22, 2020
Certain Illinois Statutes Provide A Precondemnation Right To Enter Private Property Many times a government body or public utility armed with the power of eminent domain may seek to investigate…
7th Circuit Rules Construction of the Obama Presidential Center Is Not A Taking Under The Fifth Amendment
September 14, 2020
On August 21, 2020 the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals issued its decision in Protect Our Parks, Inc. v Chicago Park District, 2020 WL 4915631, affirming a grant of summary…
Can the State of Illinois Take Private Property Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic?
April 6, 2020
In the past month, the State of Illinois and local governments, like the City of Chicago, have issued executive orders in an attempt to slow the spread of the COVID-19…
Woodstock, IL Eminent Domain Update: Route 47
February 7, 2020
More details from Governor J.B. Pritzker’s multibillion-dollar statewide transportation plan are emerging. Our team of eminent domain lawyers are closely monitoring all of IDOT’s proposed projects. We are here to…
Lake County & DuPage County Eminent Domain Updates
October 31, 2019
After the announcement of IDOT’s plan to rebuild Illinois Roads and Bridges, new details are emerging about specific projects within the $45 billion multi-year plan. According to the plan announced…
BNSF Railway Company vs. Grohne
September 12, 2019
Change in the date of valuation in an eminent domain case allowed where there was a 25% increase in the market value of the condemned property between the date the…
U.S. Supreme Court Rules Private Property Owners Can Proceed Directly To Federal Court To Allege A State or Local Government Has Taken Their Property In Violation Of The Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause
June 25, 2019
By Michael W. Ryan on June 25, 2019 Knick v. Township of Scott On June 21, 2019, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Knick v. Township of Scott that…
An Eminent Domain Lease Provision Controls Issue of Apportionment of Just Compensation Award Between A Landlord and Tenant
May 17, 2019
By Lauren Ryan on May 9, 2019 Eminent Domain Case: Department of Transportation v. 600 West Dundee, LLC A new Illinois appellate decision was issued from the Fist District on…
