In 2009, public workers in Okay, Oklahoma, devastated a small mobile-home park Melisa Robinson owns. She sued over the damage and ended up winning at the Oklahoma Supreme Court. But after two years of additional legal battles, the city simply refused to pay saying that the Okay Water Authority is the entity that owes her and that it has no money or assets.
That’s not just wrong—it’s unconstitutional. That is why Melisa has teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file a federal civil-rights lawsuit demanding that Okay officials pay her for what they took. Okay is far from alone in thinking that it’s come up with a clever way to avoid its constitutional obligations. This lawsuit will make sure that it joins the ranks of government officials who learned the hard way that the Constitution is not a suggestion. It’s mandatory.
Related Case
Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Oklahoma Takings
Courts say Okay, Oklahoma owes Melisa Robinson for damaging her property. But the city won't pay. That violates her Fifth Amendment right to just compensation.