Atlanta landowners win federal lawsuit after backyards were seized for BeltLine public use

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The federal government violated the fifth amendment when it seized portions of 32 private properties in the City of Atlanta without compensating the landowners. (Jasmine Robinson/WABE)

More than 30 City of Atlanta landowners who had large portions of their backyards taken for the construction of the Atlanta BeltLine trail will finally get paid for it.

This week, Judge Zachary N. Somers of the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. ruled that the federal government violated the fifth amendment when it took the land for public use under eminent domain but did not compensate the owners. The latest ruling comes a year after Somers rules that landowners could proceed with their lawsuit.

The “rails-to-trails” case has been a headache for homeowners that had 100 feet of their backyards seized. The questions on the top of everyone’s mind now: how much is their land worth? And when are the paychecks coming?