Williamson County Regional Planning Commission v. Hamilton Bank of Johnson City (1984)
- Docket
- 84-4
- Decided
- 1984-01-01
Summary
Question: Is a property owner entitled to money damages for the time during which zoning laws affect a temporary taking of the property? Conclusion: No decision. In a 7-1 decision, Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote for the majority, reversing and remanding to the lower court. The Supreme Court held that even if there was a temporary taking, a decision on money damages was premature because Hamilton Bank had not obtained a final administrative decision on the subdivision layout. The claim was premature under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment for the same reason. Justice Byron R. White dissented from the holding that the issues in the case were not ripe for decision. The Court in 2019 overturned this case in Knick v. Township of Scott , holding there that a government violates the Takings Clause when it takes property without compensation, and a property owner may bring a Fifth Amendment claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 at that time.