What Our Results Mean for Clients
A Remedy In a Result
Sometimes, the right result is not about the money; it’s about a remedy. Historic Hampton University is located at the foot of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. So, its campus is threatened with eminent domain any time the Commonwealth of Virginia wants to make it bigger. Waldo & Lyle has long defended the university’s property rights, most recently in 2016. A bridge tunnel expansion threatened to kill the famous Emancipation Oak, where in 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation was read for the first time to enslaved African-Americans. Waldo & Lyle’s intervention resulted in the state going back to the drawing boards. It redrew its plans to make smarter use of its existing right of way, saving the Emancipation Oak. At right, Hampton University Vice President Bill Thomas describes why the university relies on Waldo & Lyle.
Featured Case Highlights
Jim and Janet Ramsey: Land Dispute Victory
Jim and Janet Ramsey stood up to the state’s abusive “bait-and-switch” tactics after their land was seized for a highway project. Their landmark victory in the Virginia Supreme Court set a powerful precedent protecting property owners from secret appraisal downgrades.
Dr Walter Clayton: Eminent Domain Triumph
Dr. Walter Claytor fought back after Roanoke’s decades-long threat of condemnation devastated his family’s property and legacy in Gainsboro. His courtroom victory set a new precedent in Virginia, ensuring governments are held accountable for redevelopment harms.
Ray Cartwright: Exposed Hidden Appraisals
Ray Cartwright stood firm after the state offered unfair compensation for seizing his farmland and denied access to key appraisal records. His Virginia Supreme Court victory forced transparency in eminent domain cases and secured just compensation—10x the original offer.
Wanda Richards: Courtroom Victory
Wanda Richards stood up to the state after it seized her store’s parking lot, making her business unsustainable. Her courtroom victory exposed how Virginia’s condemnation laws unfairly pressured owners to settle and sparked long-overdue reforms.
Millions off the mark
It is simple logic: the harder it is for customers to get to your business, the harder it will be for you to do business. That’s what happened to a major national retailer in Fairfax County when VDOT closed one of its highway entrances for a new overpass.
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To make matters worse, VDOT insisted that the business had hardly been hurt, offering but $115,000 in compensation. Waldo & Lyle convinced a jury that the retailer was owed $5.6 million, almost 50 times what VDOT claimed was just.
Saving a dream
Howard Everton started out sweeping floors at Norva Plastics of Norfolk. He dreamed of owning the company and eventually he did. But Norfolk turned his dream into a nightmare, deciding to condemn his property for $1.7 million so it could build a shopping center.
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He fought back with Waldo & Lyle. They won the first battle: a jury ordered the city to pay Howard $3.4 million. Howard wanted his business, not the money. Having beaten Norfolk once in court already, Waldo & Lyle appealed the verdict to the Virginia Supreme Court. The justices agreed unanimously that Norfolk had no right to take Howard’s property and ordered it returned to its rightful owner.
Patience pays off
The city offered but $2.1 million for putting a ribbon of roadway through the middle of Higgerson Buchanan’s equipment and materials storage yard. During the drawn out negotiations, Waldo and Lyle proved to the city how badly it underestimated the damages. Finally, the city relented, settling for $9.5 million.
More Results
$2,228,775
JURY AWARD
Gas Pipeline Easement
$60,000
GAS CO. OFFER
$320,000
SETTLEMENT
Gas Pipeline-Inverse
$0
OFFER
$2,500,000
SETTLEMENT
Utility Corridor
$293,250
ELEC. CO. OFFER
$550,000
SETTLEMENT
Road Widening-Damage To Office Building
$40,392
VDOT OFFER
$1,200,000
SETTLEMENT
Road Widening
$632,000
CITY OFFER
$664,338
JURY AWARD
Rental Property-Road Widening
$335,000
CITY OFFER
$175,000
Plus Award Of Attorneys’ Fees
Post-trial Settlement
Professional Office: Refusal To Provide Relocation Assistance
$0
City Offer
$2,250,000
Settlement
Hotel Property- Road Widening
$292,470
VDOT Offer
$2,850,000
Settlement
Hotel Property – Road Widening
$322,435
VDOT Offer
$3,800,000
SETTLEMENT
Commercial Shopping Center-Loss of Parking
$2,058,395
VDOT OFFER
$188,500
JURY AWARD
Commercial Property-Road Widening
$27,469
VDOT OFFER
$645,969
SETTLEMENT
Commercial Property-Loss of Outparcel:
$236,457
VDOT OFFER
$353,000
And Owner Kept Developable Remainder
Settlement On Threat Of Appeal
Commercial Property – Total Taking For Road Widening
$313,734
City Offer
$2,445,716
SETTLEMENT
Church – Loss of Parking & Access
$852,716
CITY OFFER
$1,219,913.44
SETTLEMENT
Commercial Property-Road Widening
$537,514
VDOT OFFER
$125,000
SETTLEMENT
Subdivision Development-Utility Company Switching Station
$3,386
OFFER
$489,500
JURY AWARD
Damage to Mitigation Site
$41,860
VDOT OFFER
$117,500
JURY AWARD
Gas Pipeline Through Tree Farm
$13,800
ETNG OFFER
$1,850,000
SETTLEMENT
Road Widening-Damage to Medical Building
$1,261,275
COUNTY OFFER
$3,800,000
SETTLEMENT
Take For Park
$2,014,213
TOWN OFFER
$828,266.41
JURY AWARD
Take For Stormwater Drainage Pond
$437,559
VDOT OFFER
$504,127
JURY AWARD
Inverse Condemnation For Damages
$0
RRHA OFFER
$4,800,000
SETTLEMENT
Retail Stores-Acquisition For Highway Interchange
$2,620,076
VDOT OFFER
$5,500,000
SETTLEMENT
Commercial Property-Loss of Access
$4,328,280
VDOT OFFER
$1,950,000
Settlement
Residential Subdivision- Pipeline Easement
$765,389
Gas Co. Offer
$100,000
SETTLEMENT
Gas Pipeline Easement
$6,732
GAS CO. OFFER
$57,500
SETTLEMENT
Avigation Easement
$500
COUNTY OFFER
$568,085
JURY AWARD
Vacant Land For Redevelopment
$382,300
NRHA OFFER
$1,250,000
SETTLEMENT
Residential Home Acquisition For Park
$883,000
CITY OFFER
DEFEATED THE RIGHT TO TAKE
Redevelopment-Waterfront Home
$500,000
NRHA OFFER
$300,000
SETTLEMENT
Redevelopment-Property Acquisition
$66,200
NRHA OFFER
$787,000
SETTLEMENT
Redevelopment For Community Center
$380,000
NRHA OFFER
$1,000,000
Settlement
Hotel Property – Road Widening
$299,895
VDOT Offer
$1,400,000
And Significant Reduction In Taking
Settlement
Church Property – Interstate Widening
$446,220
VDOT Offer
$11,800,000
Settlement
Church Property – Interstate Overpass
$1,461,900
VDOT Offer
$13,401,741
JURY AWARD
Acquisition For Federal Courthouse
$6,175,000
US GSA OFFER
$722,107.50
SETTLEMENT
Take of Dentist Office For Road Widening
$506,600
CITY OFFER
$232,918
JURY AWARD
Residential Property-Water Run-off
$0
CITY OFFER
$724,000
JURY AWARD
Grocery Store-Loss of Parking
$76,768
VDOT OFFER
$1,000,000
Settlement
Nonprofit Retreat Center – Pipeline Easement
$80,000
Gas Co. Offer
$27,700
JURY AWARD
Gas Pipeline
$3,050
ETNG OFFER
$30,000
Taking Abandoned And Attorneys’ Fees And Costs Awarded
Settlement
Convenience Store – Drainage Easement
$7,200
VDOT Offer
$550,000
SETTLEMENT
Commercial Property – Loss Of Parking
$105,580
CITY OFFER
$550,000
SETTLEMENT
Commercial Property – Loss Of Parking
$105,580
CITY OFFER
$230,000
SETTLEMENT
Commercial Property-Road Widening
$56,000
CITY OFFER
$400,000
SETTLEMENT
Drainage Easement
$25,915
CITY OFFER
$157,000
Settlement
Church Property – Road Widening
$25,049
VDOT Offer
$600,000
Settlement
Industrial Property – Metro Expansion
$235,095
VDOT Offer
$545,000
Settlement
Commercial Property – Bisected By Road
$353,500
NCDOT Offer
$1,010,310
JURY AWARD
Taking For Stormwater Drainage Pond
$627,104
VDOT OFFER
$110,000
JURY AWARD
Gas Pipeline Through Farm
$10,000
ETNG OFFER
$1,150,000
SETTLEMENT
Farmland – Taking For School
$636,000
COUNTY OFFER
$37,000
SETTLEMENT
Avigation Easement
$4,810
COUNTY OFFER
$750,000
SETTLEMENT
Interchange Road Project – Loss of Access
$37,500
VDOT OFFER
$750,000
SETTLEMENT
Interchange Road Project – Loss of Access
$37,500
VDOT OFFER
$600,000
Settlement
Church Property – Road Widening
$81,000
City Offer
$120,000
Post-trial Settlement
Residential – Inverse Condemnation For Sewer Line Damages
$2,344
Sanitation District Offer
$1,274,866
SETTLEMENT
Commercial Property-Road Widening
$311,350
VDOT OFFER
$5,635,343
JURY AWARD (with interest)
Big Box Retail Store – Overpass – Loss of Access
$115,000
VDOT OFFER
$3,501,293
SETTLEMENT
Taking for Metro Station
$2,700,000
VDOT OFFER
$1,034,550
JURY AWARD
Land Acquisition For Road Widening
$289,925
VDOT OFFER
$885,000
SETTLEMENT
Commercial Property-Road Widening
$400,000
VDOT OFFER
$5,856,676
Settlement
Concrete Batching Plant – Relocation
$0
DC Offer
$850,000
SETTLEMENT
Commercial Building Taken For School
$200,000
COUNTY OFFER
$875,299
JURY AWARD
Shopping Center-Loss of Parking
$75,206
VDOT OFFER
$35,774
JURY AWARD
Road Widening
$3,890
VDOT OFFER
$244,310
JURY AWARD
Powerline Easement
$37,818
VDOT OFFER
$3,000,000
Settlement
Industrial Property – Pipeline Easement
$313,292
Gas Co. Offer
$152,466
JURY AWARD
Gas Station-Road Widening
$23,494
VDOT OFFER
$738,303
JURY AWARD
Farmland-Relocation of Road & Drainage Easements
$124,316
VDOT OFFER
$2,416,864
JURY AWARD
Farmland-New Road Alignment & Loss of Access
$111,161
VDOT OFFER
$9,500,000
SETTLEMENT
Construction Company Site_Highway Interchange
$2,179,863
CITY OFFER
$595,997
JURY AWARD
Church-Road Widening
$254,564
VDOT OFFER
11x Initial Offer
For Each Homeowner
Confidential Settlements
23 Residential Homeowners – Pipeline Easement
$3,000 Or Less
Gas Co. Offers
$965,500
Settlement
Hotel Property – Road Widening
$562,860
VDOTOffer
$295,000
SETTLEMENT
Power Line Easement
$4,004
VEPCO OFFER
$240,000
SETTLEMENT
Gas Pipeline Easement
$4,500
GAS CO. OFFER
$165,000
JURY AWARD
Road Widening: Suffolk
$36,400
VDOT OFFER
$3,500,000
SETTLEMENT
Acquisition of Comercial Building
$2,750,000
VDOT OFFER
$99,850
JURY
Isle Of Wight
$3,100
COUNTY OFFER