Rogers v. United States

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This case arose from the claims of a group of owners of land abutting a railroad corridor who claimed that conveyances to the railroad by their predecessors in title granted only easements for a railroad right-of-way rather than convey fee simple title, that the abandonment of the railroad right-of-way entitled them to claim the land free of the easements, and that the conversion of the land to a public recreational trail constituted a taking for which they were entitled to compensation. The United States Court of Federal Claims found that the claimants did not own any property interests in the land formerly used as a railroad corridor and, therefore, were not entitled to compensation. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit certified a question of Florida law for the Supreme Court to answer. The Supreme Court answered (1) Fla. Rev. Stat. 2241 does not limit the railroad’s interest in the property, regardless of the language of the deeds; (2) state policy does not limit the railroad’s interest in the property, regardless of the language of the deeds; and (3) factual considerations do not limit the railroad’s interest in the property, regardless of the language of the deeds. View "Rogers v. United States" on Justia Law