News

Lewis Rice Rails-to-Trails attorneys were featured in a Poughkeepsie Journal article discussing a $1 million settlement for landowners along an abandoned Metro-North rail line in New York. Lindsay Brinton explained that property rights are supposed to revert to landowners once a rail line is abandoned and emphasized that many additional property owners may still be eligible to pursue claims.

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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. The attorneys in the Federal Takings Practice Group focus on both proving the taking has occurred as well as establishing the value of the property that was taken. Their national work for landowners includes representing landowners coast-to-coast, including 11 states.