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Contact UsThe United States Supreme Court will decide today whether or not it will hear the appeal from Nick Sprayregen (case 10-402) regarding his rights to protect his family’s property from being seized by New York state. According to court documents this would allow Columbia University–a private entity–to build an expanded research center.
Sprayregen’s business is a 30 year-old New York City storage company called Tuck-It-Away, and he has been fighting for over six years to keep his property. With support from the Institute for Justice, Sprayregen is hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will step in and protect him and other private property owners.
Rather than negotiate with businesses and residences Sprayregen says, “Columbia has never tried to negotiate with me. They immediately sought the use of eminent domain to take my business from me and the property of my neighbors.”
Sprayregen says Columbia has used its influence with government to take away his family’s land which includes a Tuck-It-Away storage location. Dana Berliner, a senior attorney for the Institute for Justice argues that Columbia is misusing the law, “Eminent domain is supposed to be for public uses, projects the public will own and use, such as a road or a post office.”
The importance of this case is ringing around the country as many citizens may find their land in jeopardy depending on the outcome of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear the case.
Citation:
Kramer, John E. “U.S. Supreme Court Decides Whether to Hear New York Eminent Domain Abuse Case.” Institute for Justice. December 6, 2010
