Insights - Holley Law
An Ohio just-compensation result: closing the gap between the government’s first offer and the land’s true value.
Law360’s Expert Analysis and Real Estate Authority feature Sophia Holley’s article on a significant SCOTUS case impacting pipeline takings and attorneys’ fees.
Sophia Holley presented on eminent domain to the County Engineers Association of Ohio at their 2026 Land Records & Surveying Conference.
The Appraisal Institute defines “highest and best use” as “the reasonably probable and legal use of vacant land or an improved property that is physically possible, appropriately supported, financially feasible, and that results in the highest value.” (Appraisal Institute, The Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal, 2022).
Sophia Holley and C. Francis Barrett presented on Eminent Domain in connection with the Cincinnati Bar Association’s Local Government Law Update this fall.
Sophia Holley was invited to speak with Strafford, a BARBRI Company, on an eminent domain panel featuring speakers practicing in Texas, New Jersey, and Sophia’s jurisdictions of Ohio and Kentucky.
An interview with Jessica Lee, an in-house solicitor at Hard Rock Digital, to discuss her observations as an English attorney at an international company.
Property owners in eminent domain actions may present evidence at trial that their property is developable for a specific use, even if that use is contrary to current conditions and zoning.
For nearly a decade, I have represented some of the world’s most successful fast-food restaurants, known in the real estate industry as quick-service restaurants (QSR’s), in eminent domain and land use matters. This work adds to several decades of customer experience in QSRs, and a brief, region-leading stint in high school as a drive-thru employee in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
The-Moor Kelly joins the firm as a law clerk for the semester.
My hometown of Louisville, Kentucky is known for many delightful persons, places, and things: bourbon, the Kentucky Derby, and “The Greatest” heavyweight boxing champion, among others. A lesser-known and equally notable treasure of the community is the Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, a 16,000-acre arboretum, forest, and nature preserve located 24 miles south of the city.
On October 29, 2024, the Ohio Supreme Court declined to accept jurisdiction in City of North Ridgeville v. Sharon Zilka, et al., Lorain Cty., Case No. 23 CA012047 (9th Dist.).
The United States and Ohio Constitutions guarantee that private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation. There are several ways in which the government may seek to take private property, and property owners should consider strategies available to challenge and seek compensation for these takings.
The practice of law often brings up fond memories for me of the Simpsons and, specifically, the Treehouse of Horrors episodes. A favorite episode is Season 3, Ep. 7, The Monkey’s Paw, based upon a 1902 short story by W.W. Jacobs.
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