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Larson O’Brien LLP invites landowners who own property along a 47.5-mile-long section of the abandoned Alabama Railroad Company railway in Escambia, Monroe, and Conecuh counties to attend either of the following informational meetings on August 27 and 28:
Date & Time: Tuesday, August 27 at 6:00 pm
Location: The Civic Center (behind Brewton City Hall)
1010 B Douglas Ave., Brewton, AL 36426
Date & Time: Wednesday, August 28 at 6:00 pm
Location: Country Inn & Suites, 120 Highway 21 South, Monroeville, AL 36460
Larson O’Brien partner Thor Hearne, will lead the informational meetings to discuss how the government is converting the abandoned railway under the federal Trails Act into a public recreational trail between Flomaton and Tunnel Springs, Alabama. The federal government issued an order on May 17, 2019, taking the land along the abandoned railway for a public recreational trail. Landowners living along the railway will learn how the United States Court of Federal Claims will determine the compensation landowners along the abandoned railway may be due and how the process of claiming compensation works. Landowners may also file a claim for compensation by contacting Hearne.
Landowners will not pay any attorney fees unless their claims are successful and are not responsible for any out-of-pocket expenses. This is not a class action, so landowners must file a claim in order to receive compensation. The federal government – not the trail group or any state or local government – is solely responsible for payment of compensation.
Thor Hearne has represented hundreds of landowners, successfully prosecuting claims for compensation in “Rails to Trails” cases throughout the country. Hearne has also represented clients in argument before the United States Supreme Court, various state supreme courts, and other trial and appellate courts. Hearne wrote a law review article on the Trails Act for the American Bar Association’s property law journal. The Commonwealth of Virginia retained Hearne as lead counsel to defend Virginia’s election laws against a constitutional challenge. This involved complex federal litigation in a two-week trial in federal district court and an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Both the district court and the Court of Appeals (unanimously) upheld Virginia’s law.
About Larson O’Brien LLP: Larson O’Brien LLP is a trial boutique founded by former federal prosecutor and U.S. District Judge, Stephen G. Larson, and Robert C. O’Brien, the former California managing partner of a national AMLAW firm. The firm focuses exclusively on complex business and criminal disputes, internal investigations, international arbitrations, and appeals. Since its founding in 2016, Larson O’Brien has racked up a string of high-profile victories and quickly established itself as one of the preeminent litigation, white collar, and appellate boutiques in California. Its clients include The Walt Disney Company, Federal Express, Live Nation, Korbel Champagne Cellars, International Business Machines Corporation, Renovate America, Colonies Partners, and the Orange County Water District. Representing plaintiffs in contingency matters, the firm secured a $65 million settlement of False Claims Act allegations, obtained more than $40 million in settlements from Volkswagen for the states of Arizona and Oklahoma, and won a more than $10 million jury verdict in a tort case.
