‘Pay up or lawyer up’: Farmers take eminent domain case to Supreme Court

In North Dakota, Leonard Hoffmann, Rocky Prestangen, Randy Stevenson, and Denae Hoffmann say WBI Energy offered roughly half of market value for a 99-year pipeline easement on their private property, and backed the offer with the threat of eminent domain.

The landowners went to court, won on a key valuation issue, and initially secured fee reimbursement — only to have the Eighth Circuit reverse on fees, leaving them hundreds of thousands of dollars in the hole.

Represented by the Institute for Justice, the group petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on Aug. 7, 2025; justices will decide in October whether to hear the case. The producers argue the precedent creates a no-win scenario: accept below-market offers or risk financial ruin even if you prove your case, with implications for property owners nationwide.

Read the full story here: https://www.agweb.com/news/business/farmland/lowballed-eminent-domain-nd-farmers-appeal-landmark-case-supreme-court