Translate
Text Highlighter

Bookmark

PDF

Share

Report a problem
AMICUS AI
Citation Codes
Equivalent Citations
citation codes
Docket Number
Attorney(S)
Are you a practicing lawyer?
Enhance your digital presence and reach by creating a Casemine profile.
Upload pleading to use the new AI search
Cites
Cited by
Citation Codes
Equivalent Citations
citation codes
Docket Number
Attorney(S)
Smart Summary

Factual and Procedural Background

Claimants Wayne Emmel, Romayne Emmel, and Emmel Brothers Ranch sought compensation of $5,505,500 from the State of Oregon under ORS 197.352 (Measure 37), alleging that land use regulations reduced the value of their property located in Grant County. The Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) denied the claim on grounds that two of the three claimants were not property owners and that no state laws enacted or adopted after the third claimant acquired the property restricted its use. The claimants pursued judicial review in the Circuit Court of Grant County and subsequently in the Oregon Court of Appeals. DLCD filed a Motion to Determine Jurisdiction in the appellate court.

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Whether the Oregon Court of Appeals has jurisdiction to review DLCD's determination denying the Measure 37 claim for lack of entitlement.
  2. Whether the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment requires a hearing before DLCD's determination of initial entitlement to compensation under Measure 37.

Arguments of the Parties

The opinion does not contain a detailed account of the parties' legal arguments.

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
Corey v. DLCD, 210 Or App 542, 152 P3d 933 (2007) Clarified jurisdictional standards for agency orders involving individual legal rights and the right to a hearing under ORS 183.310(2)(a)(A). Used to determine that jurisdiction in this case lies with the circuit court, because the disputed order was not a contested case hearing order.
American Mfrs. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Sullivan, 526 US 40 (1999) Outlined constitutional due process requirements for notice and hearing in administrative proceedings. Guided the court’s analysis on when a hearing is constitutionally required regarding entitlement determinations.
Koskela v. Willamette Industries, Inc., 331 Or 362, 15 P3d 548 (2000) Interpreted due process protections in Oregon administrative law, particularly regarding hearings for entitlement determinations. Supported the conclusion that no hearing is required for the initial determination of entitlement under Measure 37.

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

The court began by examining the jurisdictional question under ORS 183.310(2)(a)(A), which limits appellate jurisdiction to final agency orders arising from contested case hearings where individual legal rights are determined. The court relied on its prior decision in Corey v. DLCD, which explained that a claimant has no constitutionally protected property interest in a government benefit until entitlement is established. Thus, due process does not require a hearing on the initial question of entitlement, only on the extent of the benefit once entitlement is established.

Applying this framework, the court concluded that DLCD's denial of any entitlement to compensation under Measure 37 was not subject to a contested case hearing requirement, and therefore the Oregon Court of Appeals lacked jurisdiction. Instead, jurisdiction properly lies with the circuit court. The court dismissed the motion to hold the appeal in abeyance as moot, granted DLCD's motion to determine jurisdiction, and dismissed the appeal accordingly.

Holding and Implications

Holding: The Oregon Court of Appeals lacks jurisdiction over DLCD's determination denying Measure 37 entitlement; jurisdiction lies with the Circuit Court of Grant County. Consequently, the motion to determine jurisdiction is granted, and the appeal is dismissed.

Implications: This decision clarifies that initial entitlement determinations under Measure 37 do not require a contested case hearing and are not reviewable by the Oregon Court of Appeals. The direct effect is to channel such judicial review to the circuit courts, with no new precedent altering substantive Measure 37 rights or procedures.

Wayne EMMEL, Romayne Emmel, and Emmel Brothers Ranch, Petitioners, v. DEPARTMENT OF LAND CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT and Department of Administrati

PER CURIAM

Motion to hold in abeyance dismissed as moot; motion to determine jurisdiction granted; appeal dismissed.

PER CURIAM

Claimants sought $5,505,500 from the state pursuant to ORS 197.352, commonly known as Measure 37, contending that land use regulations reduced the value of their property in Grant County by that amount. The Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) denied their claim on the ground that two of the three claimants are not the owners of the property and that, as to the third claimant, "no state laws enacted or adopted since [that claimant] acquired the subject property restrict the use of the property." Claimants have sought judicial review in the Circuit Court of Grant County and in this court. DLCD, in response, has filed in this court a "Motion to Determine Jurisdiction." We hold that jurisdiction lies in the circuit court of Grant County.

As we explained in Corey v. DLCD, 210 Or App 542, 545, 152 P3d 933 (2007), this court has jurisdiction if the final order resulted from a proceeding "[i]n which the individual legal rights, duties or privileges of specific parties are required by statute or Constitution to be determined only after an agency hearing at which such specific parties are entitled to appear and be heard." ORS 183.310(2)(a)(A). As we also explained in Corey, the principles guiding the determination of whether the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution required notice and a hearing derive from American Mfrs. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Sullivan, 526 US 40, 119 S Ct 977, 143 L Ed 2d 130 (1999), as construed by the Oregon Supreme Court in Koskela v. Willamette Industries, Inc., 331 Or 362, 15 P3d 548 (2000). Corey, 210 Or App at 548-49. Those principles are summarized as follows.

A person has no constitutionally protected property interest in a government benefit for which the person is making a claim of entitlement; the interest arises only when the entitlement is established. Consequently, the person has no right to a hearing as to the determination of entitlement itself. Once initial entitlement is established, however, a person has a constitutionally protected property interest in receiving all of the benefit for which he or she qualifies. Consequently, a person has the right to a hearing (and, under the Oregon Administrative Procedures Act, a full contested case hearing) regarding the extent of the benefit. Id. at 551.

Applying those principles in the context of a Measure 37 claim, we concluded in Corey that, because the claimant had established her entitlement to compensation or waiver, she had the constitutional right to a hearing regarding the extent of her entitlement. Id. at 551-52. Here, in contrast, the decision of which judicial review is sought is DLCD's determination whether claimants had any entitlement at all. Under Koskela, that decision is not one on which claimants had a right to a hearing. The final order containing that decision was an order in other than a contested case. Jurisdiction lies in the circuit court.

Motion to hold in abeyance dismissed as moot; motion to determine jurisdiction granted; appeal dismissed.

Use AI to get other relevant cases.

Comments

EMMEL v. DLCD
(Jul 5, 2007)