Important Notice to Property Owners Along Buffalo Bayou And The West Fork Of The San Jacinto River Who Were Damaged By Flooding – You Have Potential Inverse Condemnation Claims
If your home or business property was flooded (or the flooding levels and duration was significantly increased) due to the flood water releases from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs or the Lake Conroe Dam, you may be entitled to financial compensation from the responsible and appropriate governmental body. Such financial compensation can be obtained through claims of “inverse condemnation” against such governmental bodies including: the Federal Government, Harris County Flood Control District, the City of Houston, and the San Jacinto River Valley Authority, among others.
For Many Flooded Property Owners, Your Only Option May be to Pursue an Inverse Condemnation Claim. We offer Free Case Consultations and Contingency Fee (No Fees Unless You Recover) Legal Representation.
Call us at (713) 840-1411.
What is Inverse Condemnation?
The 5th Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 17 of the Texas Constitution protect property owners from damages or “takings” of their property by requiring just compensation for their losses. Typically, the government or other private companies with eminent domain authority (such as utility or pipeline companies) take direct action to acquire property from private owners by negotiating a purchase or initiating the eminent domain proceedings whereby the fair value of the property being taken is agreed upon or decided through formal or informal proceedings, and such value is paid to the property owners. In an “Inverse Condemnation,” the condemning authorities first “take” or damage property without compensating property owners. A property owner in this situation is then forced to file an “inverse condemnation” lawsuit against the government or other condemning entity. This is usually done through an experienced inverse condemnation attorney.
Eligibility to Recover Damages with an Inverse Condemnation Lawsuit
Eligibility for Inverse Condemnation lawsuit described above depends on many factors and must comprehensively be analyzed by experienced eminent domain attorneys. The 2 major groups that may be entitled to compensation are those that suffered flooding resulting from the following controlled releases:
Addicks and Barker Reservoirs and Flood Water Releases
If your home or investment property is located downstream of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs along the applicable portions of Buffalo Bayou, AND sustained flood damage commencing on or after Monday August 28th, (or the flooding significantly increased on or after such date) then you may be eligible for compensation.
If your property is located upstream of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs, AND sustained flood damage from Hurricane Harvey, then you may be eligible for compensation.
Lake Conroe Dam and San Jacinto River Valley Authority Flood Water Releases
If your home or investment property is located downstream of the Lake Conroe Dam along the applicable portions of the San Jacinto River, AND sustained flood damage commencing after the deliberate and intentional release of water from Lake Conroe (or the flooding significantly increased after such release) by the San Jacinto River Valley Authority, then you may be eligible for compensation.
I Heard About a Class Action Lawsuit Filed. Should I Join An Inverse Condemnation Class Action Lawsuit?
We believe that each potential claim of each individual client whose property has been damaged is unique and requires an independent legal analysis to properly answer this question. While it is true that many law firms in the Houston area have filed class action lawsuits in both State and Federal Courts, you are under no obligation and absolutely no rush to join a class action lawsuit. Furthermore, depending on the facts of your particular case, the proposed class action lawsuit, and the jurisdiction each was filed in, your case may be better litigated individually. In other words, you get your own lawsuit.
CONTACT AN INVERSE CONDEMNATION LAW FIRM – WE ARE AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION AND REVIEW YOUR CASE — CALL 713-840-1411 OR EMAIL US.
In short, the best course of action, is to contact an experienced inverse condemnation lawyer that will take a personalized and thorough legal analysis of your case. We are available to provide more information regarding these matters and collaborate with various well-respected property and engineering experts as well as other law firms throughout the Houston area.
