Pipeline Company Seized Their Land and Left Them With a $383,000 Bill; Supreme Court to Weigh In
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case involving North Dakota rancher Leonard Hoffmann, whose land was seized by WBI Energy Transmission for a natural gas pipeline. The company offered about half the market value, leading to a lawsuit. A district court ruled that WBI must pay the plaintiffs' legal fees of approximately $383,375 under North Dakota law, which allows restoring plaintiffs to their original financial position. However, the 8th Circuit reversed that decision, creating a split with the Third, Fifth, Sixth, and Eleventh Circuits. The case centers on whether federal law under the Natural Gas Act or state law governs compensation rules when private companies exercise eminent domain. The plaintiffs argue that without fee recovery, the constitutional right to just compensation is undermined. The Court's decision could affect millions of miles of pipeline and countless condemnation proceedings nationwide.
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