Eminent domain still needs reform
Jeremy Hopkins bemoans Virginia law when it comes to eminent domain, and rightly so:
The Virginia Constitution guarantees owners just compensation for property taken, but Virginia law frequently guarantees that owners receive less than just compensation or less than the value of the property taken. An owner who receives a below-market-value offer for his property has one choice: accept the condemnor's low offer or forfeit a portion of his compensation to litigation expenses. Virginia law prohibits an owner from being reimbursed for litigation expenses regardless of how unreasonable a condemnor's offer may have been. Virginia law also prohibits business owners from recovering business losses they suffer when a condemnor takes their business.
Kentucky allows for property to be taken under a designation of "blight," but the requirements for an appropriate blight designation are ridiculously broad. Kentucky is not done reforming eminent domain. Not by a longshot.
