Eminent Domain - LAW OFFICES OF WILLIAM MARKHAM, P.C.

Eminent Domain and Condemnations

Mr. Markham has substantial experience litigating condemnation matters and cases brought under the eminent domain statutes. He is highly proficient in the law of takings and has litigated the issue of wrongful takings, including issues that have arisen under the Kelo doctrine, which surprisingly allows a government agency to condemn and take a property from one private owner and transfer it to another private owner on the ground that the new owner will make better use of the property! He also has extensive experience negotiating and litigating valuations issues, helping to ensure that his clients obtain fair value and “just compensation” for the properties that different government agencies take from them under threat of condemnation. Mr. Markham has obtained substantial settlements and condemnation awards for his clients, which have included the following substantial matters:

$4.4 Million Settlement in Complex Eminent Domain Litigation. In a complex eminent domain proceeding, Mr. Markham represented a large polypropylene factory located in Alameda County. The Oakland Unified School District condemned the property and made an initial offer of approximately $2.8 million. After a substantial litigation, the condemnor agreed to pay approximately $4.4 million for its taking. Case name: Oakland Unified School District v. Cheng (Alameda Cty. Sup. Ct., Case No. 2002-051449).

$3.1 Million Settlement in Cutting-Edge Eminent Domain Litigation. In a complex, novel eminent domain proceeding, Mr. Markham represented the owner of commercial property that a government agency chose to condemn and take so that it could transfer ownership to a private developer. This case was brought after the US Supreme Court ruled in the Kelo case that such takings were permissible upon a proper showing. The condemnor’s original offer was approximately $1.6 million, and the final stipulated award was worth approximately $3.1 million.

Mr. Markham's Articles on Antitrust Law

AN OVERVIEW OF ANTITRUST LAW (By William Markham, ©2000)

"Antitrust law is the law of competition and is perhaps the least understood law of all. This article provides an overview and explanation of the essential principles of antitrust law."

ANTITRUST EXEMPTIONS AND IMMUNITIES (By William Markham, ©2022)

"Over the years, Congress and the federal courts have established various immunities from federal antitrust law, removing from its reach specified commercial activities and even entire lines of commerce."

HOW THE CONSUMER-WELFARE STANDARD TRANSFORMED CLASSICAL ANTITRUST LAW (By William Markham, ©2021)

"Since the late 1970s, antitrust law in the United States has been transformed out of recognition and rendered largely toothless by consumer-welfare jurisprudence....,"

ANTITRUST AND FREE MARKETS (BY William Markham, © 2022)

“Some critics of antitrust law treat it as mere governmental overreach and an unwelcome infringement upon the ordinary operations of our free markets. (….) That criticism betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the very term ‘free markets,’ which refers to markets that are free of any undue restraint, whether public or private.”

UNLAWFUL PRICE DISCRIMINATION (By William Markham, © 2013)

“In this article I take up the obscure, problematic doctrine of illegal price discrimination, which was codified by the Robinson-Patman Act during the Great Depression, and which the modern, conservative Supreme Court has severely limited.”

WHY ANTITRUST LAWS MATTER (By William Markham, © 2006)

“The antitrust laws are supposed to promote and protect competition, or, if you will, competitive processes in distinct ‘lines of commerce’ or ‘relevant markets.’ This alone is their proper purpose.

Mr. Markham's Articles on
Trial Procedure and Contract Law

MAKING SENSE OF THE RULES OF EVIDENCE AND PRESENTING YOUR EVIDENCE AT TRIAL (By William Markham, ©2011)

"I try in this article simply to set forth a list of simple rules to explain the key points of the law of evidence. I also offer several pointers on organizing evidence in order to present it competently at trial."

ANATOMY OF A LAWSUIT (By William Markham, ©2007)

"This article is written for non-lawyers, young litigators, and non-litigator attorneys who wish to understand how a lawsuit works in practice from start to finish."

AN OVERVIEW OF CONTRACT LAW (By William Markham, ©2002)

"Contract law lies at the heart of our system of laws and serves as the foundation of our entire society.... Our society depends upon free exchange in the marketplace at every level. Contract law makes this possible."