02/ 11/ 2008
NFIB Urges Missouri Supreme Court to Curb Eminent Domain Uses And Protect Members' Private Property Rights
The city of Arnold, Mo., is trying to condemn the business property of a local dentist and NFIB member in a case that has made its way to the Missouri Supreme Court.
Dr. Homer Tourkakis, who has owned the property for more than 20 years, argues that since Arnold is not chartered under the Missouri constitution, it doesn't have the power to take private property through the use of eminent domain.
NFIB's Legal Foundation is urging the court to side with Dr. Tourkakis and limit eminent domain use in Missouri to only those few cities and counties that are constitutionally chartered.
An NFIB victory in the Supreme Court would halt the majority of eminent domain takings in Missouri, a state where eminent domain authority has been used frequently.
