City of Oroville v. Superior Court (2019) 7 Cal. 5th 1091
Aug 15, 2019OUTCOME: Supreme Court Victory
On August 15, 2019, the California Supreme Court decided City of Oroville v. Superior Court of Butte County, an important inverse condemnation case — its first inverse condemnation case in over two dec ... ades — which refines the standards of causation a plaintiff must show to win damages in such cases. Commercial property owner brought action against city for inverse condemnation and nuisance arising out of sewer backup. Oroville makes a helpful change in the law for public entities’ defense of inverse condemnation cases, which allege a physical taking or damaging of private property. The decision has practical implications for the design, construction and maintenance of public infrastructure in our state.