We are a National Authority in Property Rights, Constitutional Law & Appellate Litigation

Nationally recognized trial attorneys specializing in property rights, IRS disputes, appellate litigation and more.

The National Authority In

Eminent Domain Litigation

If the government takes private property the Constitution requires the government to pay the landowner “just compensation” for that property the government took form the landowner. The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution says, “No person shall…be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

Every state constitution contains a similar provision protecting an owner’s right to their private property. Depending upon the circumstances of your case, you may also be entitled to be paid additional compensation for what the government took and the expenses you may have incurred in defending your right to be compensated. The federal Uniform Relocation Act, 42 U.S.C. § 4601, et seq., requires the federal government (or a state government using federal funds or acting under federal authority) to pay your legal fees and litigation expenses. The text of the Uniform Relocation Act is available here.

– Breaking News –

True North Law Files U.S. Supreme Court Brief in Support of Louisiana Landowners

True North’s amicus brief asks the Court to take up and overturn the decision of the Fifth Circuit, which wrongly held the government doesn’t need to compensate landowners unless and until the legislature appropriates the compensation.

True North Law filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf property rights advocacy groups, including Reason Foundation, Southeastern Legal Foundation, National Association of Reversionary Property Owners, and property law scholar Professor James W. Ely, Jr., asking the Court to review and overturn the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Ariyan, Inc. v. Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans.

When the Sewerage Board of New Orleans damaged the property of seventy landowners in 2013 but refused to pay them compensation, the owners sued the Sewerage Board in Louisiana state court, winning judgments against it totaling $10.5 million under the Fifth Amendment’s Just Compensation Clause. But the Sewerage Board refused to pay the judgments. So the landowners had to sue the Sewerage Board again, this time in federal court under Section 1983, to enforce their constitutional right under the Fifth Amendment. But the Fifth Circuit said the state was not required to pay the compensation ordered by the state courts because the legislature had not appropriated the money. The landowners now ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case and overturn the Fifth Circuit’s decision because the Fifth Amendment is self-executing and its guarantee of “just compensation” does not depend upon an act of legislative grace. Read more here.

Thor Hearne argues in the 11th Circuit for Florida farmer whose land was taken by a natural gas pipeline company

Federal appeal stems from pipeline company’s refusal to fully compensate the landowner under Florida law, including payment of attorney fees.

In Sabal Trail Transmission v. 18.27 Acres, the pipeline company only offered to pay the Thomas family a fraction of the value of the property that a jury later determined the Thomas family’s property was worth. The Thomas family endured years of litigation against the pipeline company and, in the end, the pipeline company lost, and the jury returned a verdict in favor of the Thomas family.

Sabal Trail argued that it shouldn’t be required to pay landowners’ attorneys’ fees when it condemns their land and forces the landowners into court. Read more.

About Us

True North Law Group

True North Law Group is a Thor Hearne law firm, making us an authority in property rights and appellate litigation.

We have spent the last 30 years ardently fighting for the rights of our clients in a variety of constitutional and appellate law cases, including pioneering rails-to-trails compensation law and winning more cases on behalf of landowners than any other firm.

Your constitutional rights should never be infringed – particularly by the government – and we have devoted our practice to protecting and defending citizens through dedicated trial advocacy.

Meet True North

Owner's Council Profile

A Primer On The Federal Trails Act

Practice Areas

Expertise

Property Rights

& Eminent Domain

Protecting your 5th Amendment rights so that you receive just compensation for your property.

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Constitutional

Law & Voting Rights

Ensuring laws comply with the constitutions at the state and federal level, including fair elections and voting rights.

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Complex

Commercial Litigation

Advocating for businesses in complex property valuation, patent disputes, eminent domain lawsuits & more.

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Appellate Litigation

Federal & State Courts

Professional appellate litigation attorneys at all levels, including US circuit courts, state Supreme Courts and the US Supreme Court.

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Tax Court Litigation

Conservation Easements

Representing clients in tax courts for IRS disputes in land valuation, conservation easements, retirement benefits & more.

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Trial Advocacy
Professionals

Federal & State Courts

Experienced trial attorneys representing clients in a range of technical areas of law, including property rights, patents & more.

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Testimonials

Success Stories

“Mr. Hearne,

We appreciate your work in representing the homeowners along the Legacy Trail in Mission Valley, Nokomis, FL. The case was Rogers v. U.S. Over a decade-long fight your firm held fast and was successful. Thanks!”