Richards v. Washington Terminal Co
| Richards v. Washington Terminal Company | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full case name | Webster Richards v. Washington Terminal Company |
| Citations | 233 U.S. 546 (more) Richards v. Washington Terminal Co., 233 U.S. 546 (1914) |
| Holding | |
| Any diminution of the value of property not directly invaded nor peculiarly affected, but sharing in the common burden of incidental damages arising from a legalized nuisance, is not a taking. | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Justice Mahlon Pitney |
| Dissent | Justice Lurton |
| Laws applied | |
| Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution | |
Richards v. Washington Terminal Company, 233 U.S. 546 (1914), was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States resolving the question when a government-created nuisance amounted to a taking of property under the Fifth Amendment's Takings Clause of the United States Constitution.
Facts and holding[edit]
In Richards, the Court in a 8-1 decision, held that any diminution of the value of property not directly invaded nor peculiarly affected by a government-created nuisance, but instead sharing in the common burden of incidental damages arising from the legalized nuisance, is not a taking under the U.S. Constitution.[1]
The case involved a landowner who claimed that they were injured from the smoke, dust, cinders, and gases emitted from the defendant's railroad which abutted the landowner's property.[2] The Court found no taking from the injuries that the plaintiff were suffered common to the public. However, because the railroad tunnel adjoining the landowner's property had a fanning system, which directed gases and dust onto the landowner's property, a taking occurred.[2] Due to this holding, Richards is an important case addressing what legal rule should be applied when determining whether a government-created nuisance constitutes a taking under the U.S. Constitution and takings clauses in state constitutions.[3][4][5]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Richards v. Washington Terminal Company, 233 U.S. 546, 554 (1914)
- ^ a b Land Use Planning and Development Regulation Law § 10:3, Physical invasions as takings, (3d ed. 2022)
- ^ Richardson, Jesse (2000). "Nuisance Revisited After Buchanan and Bormann". Ag. Law. Journal.
- ^ Spater, George A. (1965). "Noise and the Law". Michigan Law Review. 63 (8): 1373–1410. doi:10.2307/1287050. ISSN 0026-2234. JSTOR 1287050.
- ^ Gerald L. Hallworth, Judicial Legislation in Airport Litigation--A Blessing or Danger, 39 Notre Dame L. Rev. 411 (1964). Available at: [1]