Court Opinion

ID: 9655662
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 19:18:40.416033+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:13:20.976660
License: Public Domain

McCORMICK, Justice
(dissenting).
The first two condemnation proceedings were dismissed because of settlement negotiations between the parties. Only the third proceeding was dismissed because the City wished to avoid the risk of a high award. It then condemned only an easement. Its evidence at trial established it had no plan to acquire any greater right in the property. I do not believe the evidence shows the City ever purported to bargain with the Osborns or other property owners with its zoning power. Nor do I believe the Osborns were misled by the City’s offer to pay on the basis of the lower appraisal in the third proceeding.
For mandamus to be warranted it was necessary for Osborns to prove that the City’s conduct constituted a taking in the constitutional sense. I agree with the trial court that they did not meet this burden.