Archive | 2015

The Second Higher Appraisal: Stop the Games and Produce it

A recent, unanimous decision of the Virginia Supreme Court held that a prior appraisal used for the payment of an advance payment should have been admitted in evidence as an admission. Ramsey v Commissioner of Highways, __ Va. ___ (Record number 140929). The  full decision of the Court can be read here. The facts were fairly simple. The Ramseys owned a parcel of land in the City of Virginia Beach. The Highway Department took a portion of the land for Route 264. Prior to the taking, the Condemnor valued the… read more

Posted in Advance Payments, Eminent Domain, Eminent Domain Abuse, Offer & Compensation, Recent cases, Sandbagging
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New York’s Tax Cap Statute and Recent Tax Certiorari, Eminent Domain and Exemption Cases

The Hon. Thomas A. Dickerson and John Mechman, Esq. have authored an excellent article published in the Westchester Bar Journal titled “New York’s Tax Cap Statute and Recent Tax Certiorari, Eminent Domain, and Exemption Cases. The article provides a synopsis of interesting and relevant cases decided in the 2014 calendar year by New York Supreme Courts and is available by clicking here. The first topic addressed in the article is New York’s tax cap statute, which was signed into law by Governor Cuomo on June 30, 2011. The statute provides… read more

Posted in New York, Recent cases, Tax Certiorari, Valuation
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“Rearranging the Deck Chairs When the Ship is Going Down: Protecting Your Condemnation Record for Appeal”

Michael Rikon recently co-authored an article published in the Practical Real Estate Lawyer with James D. Masterman. The article is titled “Rearranging the Deck Chairs When the Ship is Going Down: Protecting Your Condemnation Record for Appeal” and is available online by clicking here. The article offers practical insight, tips, and guidelines for how best to preserve the record for a possible appeal. Although many practitioners may feel confident during a trial that things are going their way, the authors point out that in almost every case there may be… read more

Posted in Litigation, Published Articles
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The Constitution Pipeline & Partial Takings

For those of you not in the New York area, the Constitution pipeline is a proposed project to build  a  124-mile transmission pipeline connecting natural gas supplies in northern Pennsylvania with major northeastern markets. The pipeline is designed with the capacity to transport 650,000 dekatherms of natural gas per day (which is enough to serve 3 million homes, according to the Constitution Pipeline website.) The pipeline itself is 30 inches wide and will extend from Susquehanna County, Pa. to Schoharie County, New York. Construction is expected to begin this summer…. read more

Posted in Constitution Pipeline, Energy Companies, New York, Partial Takings, Published Articles, Valuation
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Michael Rikon Spoke at the New York State Judicial Institute on April 7, 2015

Below is a part of the paper presented.   New York State Judicial Institute April 7, 2015 By Michael Rikon[1] VALUATION OF PROPERTY Real property value is very dependent on the factual circumstances presented.  It is also dependent on the reason for the need to value the property. The same property may be valued differently as of the same date depending on whether the subject property was taken in an eminent domain proceeding, or, it’s assessed value is questioned in a tax certiorari proceeding.  The value of real property may… read more

Posted in Highest and Best Use, Speaking Appearances, Valuation
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