Village of Willowbrook v. Olech
United States Supreme Court
528 U.S. 562 (2000)
Olech (plaintiff), a Willowbrook (defendant) resident, asked the village to connect her property to the municipal water supply, and the village agreed only if she granted a 33-foot easement, though it required just a 15-foot easement from every other resident seeking the same connection. Olech sued alleging an Equal Protection violation; the district court dismissed for failure to state a claim, the Seventh Circuit reversed, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Whether an individual states a cause of action under the Equal Protection Clause by claiming that a town irrationally demanded a more substantial easement in response to a request for access to the town water supply than it demanded from any other resident.