'We wanted to stay there forever': $2.9 million awarded in OTA eminent domain case
An Oklahoma County couple was awarded approximately $2.9 million in a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority on Mar. 28.On Thursday, Samantha Brewer a An Oklahoma County couple has been awarded approximately $2.9 million in a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTTA) for their home being demolished in 2018 to make way for the Kickapoo Turnpipe. Samantha Brewer and her attorneys claimed that the OTA failed to offer fair compensation for the property's value and the cost of being uprooted. The OTA seized 46 acres of the total 140-acre property and the upper left-hand corner of the Brewers' land is no longer accessible by any public road after being bisected by the turnpike. Despite the win in court, the family's legal process may not be over.
Published : 4 weeks ago by https://www.facebook.com/foxokc, TOM FERGUSON in
An Oklahoma County couple was awarded approximately $2.9 million in a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority on Mar. 28.
On Thursday, Samantha Brewer and her attorneys with Ritchie, Rock, and Atwood in Shawnee shared their story of obtaining what they described as fair compensation in a court battle.
The agency demolished the family's custom, 3600 sq. ft. home in 2018 to make way for the Kickapoo Turnpike.
"We built it for our... forever home. We, you know, raised our... family there. We wanted to stay there forever. But it didn't happen that way," Brewer shared.
She shared that first learning that her home was in the turnpike's path was a gut punch—and then getting a 30-day notice to vacate in Jul. 2018 was devastating.
Brewer and her attorneys asserted that the OTA failed to offer fair compensation for the property's value and the cost of being uprooted.
According to attorney Nick Atwood, "They've gone through the wringer on this. They lost so much. They lost their home. They lost 46 acres. They had their property severed by the turnpike."
The OTA seized 46 acres of the total 140-acre property. The upper left-hand corner of the Brewers' land is no longer accessible by any public road after being bisected by the turnpike.
Brewer noted, "Just don't quit, you know. That's the main thing. Keep fighting if you don't feel like you have been treated fairly. Just don't give up."
The family's legal process may not be over despite the win in court.
"We don't know that it's over yet because there hasn't been a decision by the turnpike authority as to whether or not they're going to appeal. So, I have some cautious optimism that my clients have finally gotten to the end of this case," added attorney Kim Ritchie.
The OTA shared the following statement in response to FOX 25's request for comment: