Press release from True North Law:
True North Law LLC invites landowners who own property along a 19-mile-long section of the abandoned Blue Ridge Southern Railroad in Henderson and Transylvania counties to attend the following informational meeting on Thursday June 24th:
Date & Time: Thursday June 24th at 5:00 pm (late arrivals welcome)
Location: Chelsea Event Center, Etowah Valley Golf & Resort, 470 Brickyard Road, Etowah, NC 29789Landowners whose property is adjacent to the abandoned Blue Ridge Southern railway being converted into the Ecusta Rail-Trail may be able to soon file claims for compensation for the expected taking of their land to construct this recreational trail. Interested landowners are encouraged to contact Thor Hearne directly to learn more about the rail-trail, its effects on their property, and how to file a claim. Landowners may file a claim for compensation by contacting Hearne or by attending this meeting.
Landowners attending this informational meeting have no obligation to file a claim for compensation, and attendance at this meeting is not required in order to file a claim. Thor Hearne pioneered the rails-to-trails field of law and has over 20 years of experience in successfully representing hundreds of landowners in rails-to-trails cases, including landowners in North Carolina. Hearne is the only member of Owners’ Counsel of America who litigates federal Trails Act cases. Owners’ Counsel of America is an invitation- only association of the top eminent domain attorney in each state who exclusively represents landowners. More information is available at truenorthlawgroup.com.
The informational meeting will explain how the government is converting the abandoned railway under the federal Trails Act into a public recreational trail between Hendersonville and Brevard. The railroad and the Ecusta Trail sponsoring organization recently requested that the federal government approve the conversion of the 19-mile-long railway into a recreational rail-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.
Affected landowners must file a claim prior to the expiration of the statute of limitations in order to receive compensation. Landowners will not pay any attorney fees unless their claims are successful, and landowners are not responsible for any out-of-pocket expenses. This is not a class action, so landowners must choose to file a claim in order to receive compensation. The federal government – not the trail-sponsor or any state or local government – is solely responsible for payment of compensation.
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