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kchpc@sbcgglobal.net 

134 N. Main Street

Plymouth, MI 48170-1236

 

 

 (734) 454-9610

I am an attorney specializing in real estate, condemnation/eminent domain and civil litigation. I received my  Bachelors of Arts degree from Western Michigan University in 1981 and received a Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University Law School after graduating with honors in 1985.  I also have been a member of the State Bar of Michigan's Real Property Law Education Committee and the American Bar Association's Real Property Section Condemnation Law Committee, have given speeches at the American Bar Association's annual meeting (addresing the Real Property Condemnation Committee concerning recent trends in real property valuation litigation) and  have given speeches to the Washtenaw County Bar Association, Real Estate Committee, and to the Corktown Community Counsel concerning condemnation matters.  I published an article in the ABA's edition of "Current Condemnation Law" concerning range of testimony jurisprudence in condemnation matters and, while at Wayne State, received the American Jurisprudence Award signifying the highest achievement in the study of property law.

 

Although I have a general and vibrant civil litigation and real estate practice, my concentration is in condemnation/eminent domain matters.  Below are descriptions of various cases I have worked on. 

 

 

 

The picture above is of the Genesee Towers building, the tallest building in downtown Flint.  Through a series of actions by the City, the property was vacant and my client was not allowed to rent it.  We sued in inverse condemnation to reopen the building and obtain damages but that action was eventually converted to a direct condemnation by the City.  The City offered $1.5 million - but we obtained an arbitration award of $4.8 million PLUS our 1/3 fee and litigation costs.  This case is currently in the Court of Appeals but we remain confident of total victory. 

 

At the Ambassador Bridge, I represent the owner of the property outlined in red.  The property is being partially condemned by the MDOT to construct ramps connecting the Bridge to the state highway system.  We are fighting this taking because it clearly benefits the privately owned Ambassador Bridge at the public's expense.  To add insult to injury, the owner (multi-millionare Manny Maroun) of the Bridge decided that he would take the property left over by the MDOT.  Both the trial court and the Court of Appeals ruled the Bridge had no such statutory power to authorize this land grab.  They, of course, have appealed to the Supreme Court of Michigan.

In the past I have represented property owners along Canton Center and Beck Roads in Canton Township. Along Beck Road (South of Ford) I won a necessity challenge requiring the dismissal of three cases. In my only Beck Road case that did not challenge necessity, my client achieved an increase over the first offer of $50,000 and also obtained a variance to allow him to split his property into two lots. I also represented 5 business owners along Canton Center Road (North of Ford Road) and achieved increases of between $99,000 and $16,500 per property.  I  also represented various owners on Jackson Road in the Township of Scio, just West of Ann Arbor, and achieved increases between $48,000 and $100,000 per property.  I have made attachments to this site of the maps of these areas. 

As a litigator over the past 24 years I have tried cases involving various issues in 8 different Michigan Circuit Courts and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.  I am an experienced appellate attorney who currently has 4 cases in various stages of appeal.

If you have a case within my areas of concentration, please contact me at kchpc@sbcglobal.net or the other contact information above.

REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS:

Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, City of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County Drain Commissioner, Grosse Ile Township, Time-Warner Cable, Inc, Metro Power Sports, Inc, Murray J.A. Smith Limited Partnership, Honey Creek Church of the Nazarene, R & S Investments, LLC, Ann Arbor Awning, Quality Drywall, Inc, Commodities Export Company, Bright House Networks, Plain and Fancy Kitchens, and numerous individuals.