VA State Supreme Court Hears Oyster Case

The Virginia Supreme Court has heard the appeal in a lawsuit filed by local oystermen against the city of Suffolk and the Hampton Roads Sanitation District.

The court heard arguments from their respective attorneys Nov. 4, with a decision in the case holding the potential for far-reaching, precedent-setting implications as it merges environmental case law and case law about inverse condemnation — the taking of private property for a public purpose without justly compensating its owner.

C. Robert Johnson III, Lisa Lawson Johnson, Thomas Hazelwood, Johnson and Sons Seafood and Hazelwood Oyster Farms filed the original lawsuit in November 2018 when they sued the city and the sanitation district.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Suffolk News Herald