Major Property Rights Victory in Missouri
Thanks to the tenacity of Homer Tourkakis, Missouri property owners have a major victory on their side in the battle against eminent domain abuse.
The city of Arnold, together with a developer called THF Reality, had plans to take Tourkakis' dental practice with eminent domain and replace it with private development. Tourkakis, however, wouldn't back down. He took it to court and won.
"I happen to know that once the developer realized the weight of this constitutional challenge, they asked the doctor to 'name a number'-the last thing they wanted was a court precedent that would foil similar developments all over the state," says Ron Calzone, chairman of Missouri Citizens for Property Rights, in a press release. "When most people would have taken the easy way out, and the money, Homer stayed the course and paved the way for others to protect their property with the same defense. Non-chartered cities across Missouri should now be on notice."
This defense strategy against eminent domain, together with Tourkakis' victory, could have major implications for the eminent domain debate in Missouri because several other non-chartered cities have attempted to use eminent domain to deal with so-called "blighted" properties.
On behalf of property owners across Missouri, here's to Homer Tourkakis. To learn more, visit MO-CPR's website. They are currently collecting signatures to put an initiative on the Nov. 2008 ballot that would amend the Missouri Constitution and return eminent domain to its original intent-to be used for legitimate public purposes, like hospitals, schools, and roads.
