Opinion ID: 2632275
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Amount of Compensation Due

Text: In making its assessment, the commission could not have determined whether E-470's condemnation caused compensable damages in any amount greater than $100,000, because there was no evidence presented to them to support such a finding. Although Hellerstein's experts testified to a before-taking value, they did not identify any quantifiable damages caused by the E-470 Highway project, nor did they assign a depreciated after-taking value to the remainder property. E-470's expert testified to a before-taking and after-taking value, but these valuations were based upon his conclusion that the remainder property had not been damaged at all, and had in fact increased in value due to the E-470 Highway project. From the record, it appears that the commission incorrectly combined incompatible valuation testimony (Hellerstein's before-taking value and E-470's after-taking value) to produce a damages amount. The only after-taking value presented to the commission came from E-470's expert, who found that no damages occurred to the property in question. Thus, the valuation evidence before the commission clearly did not show that the remainder property suffered a depreciation in value due to the E-470 Highway project. The commission's assessment yielded a damages figure of millions of dollars where no expert testified to damages of more than $100,000.