Mitchell v. United States
United States Supreme Court
267 U.S. 341 (1925)
Relevant factsFree
The United States (defendant) took Mitchell's (plaintiff) Maryland land by eminent domain for military use, paying him $76,000 for the land itself but nothing for the loss of his special corn-growing business, which he could not relocate to another parcel. Mitchell sued for an additional $100,000 in business-loss compensation, claiming a right to it under both the authorizing statute and the Fifth Amendment; the trial court ruled against him, and he appealed.
IssueFree
Whether, when the government takes privately-owned land by eminent domain, the owner has a constitutional right to compensation for the loss of a business that was operated on the land.