Mount Airy Landowners Prevail in Property Claim Against Government
August 23, 2023The Frederick News-Post and Yahoo! News reported that the federal government paid $300,000 to a group of Mount Airy landowners, represented by Lewis Rice, who argued that they were owed compensation after the town converted a railroad line running through their properties into a public trail.
Meghan Largent, a Lewis Rice federal takings attorney quoted in the article, helped represent the affected landowners in their claims.
"Everything the town of Mount Airy and the railroad has done is perfectly legal," Meghan said in an interview with The Frederick News-Post. "The only problem is the federal government didn't pay these owners for the land they didn't get back."
To read the full article, click under "Resources" below. Note the Frederick-News Post has a paywall.
Lewis Rice's federal takings attorneys represent landowners throughout the United States pursuing takings claims against the federal government. One primary focus of the group is representing landowners in what is commonly referred to as rails to trails takings. Attorneys in this group litigate cases in the United States Court of Federal Claims on behalf of those whose property was taken by the federal government pursuant to the National Trails System Act, which authorizes abandoned railroad lines to be converted to public parks. The goal is to obtain compensation from the government for the taking of their land for the public recreational trail.
