Opinion ID: 2453269
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: ¶ 1 Fred, Laura, and Bret Selman, petitioners in this case, are principals of Harold Selman, Inc. (collectively, the Selmans). The Selmans own property that is bisected by the border of Box Elder County and Cache County. Running through the property is a trail that connects the cities of Mantua and Paradise. In 2007, both counties passed resolutions designating the trail as a county road. Shortly thereafter, Box Elder County commenced road construction activities on the trail. As a result of the construction, the Selmans brought several actions against Box Elder County alleging that the county's action violated numerous statutes. Additionally, the Selmans sought arbitration from the Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman (the Ombudsman's Office). The Ombudsman's Office accepted the case for arbitration, but Box Elder County sought to stay the arbitration and counterclaimed with a quiet-title action, contending it was the actual owner of the trail. ¶ 2 The district court stayed the arbitration, bifurcated the case, and held that the Ombudsman's Office did not have statutory authority to arbitrate the action since the threshold issue of ownership was in dispute. The court of appeals upheld the district court's decision. We granted certiorari on the issue of whether the court of appeals erred in affirming the district court's construction of the scope of the arbitration provision of the Property Rights Ombudsman Act. We hold that the plain language of the Property Rights Ombudsman Act [1] (the Ombudsman Act or the Act) grants the Ombudsman's Office authority to arbitrate the threshold issue of property ownership in takings and eminent domain disputes. Therefore, we reverse.