Acting Director, Department of Forests & Parks v. Walker

On 20 April 1972, in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, the appellant, the Department of Forests and Parks (the State) 1 filed a petition for condemnation of certain land held in trust by Thomas J. Walker, Jr. and George B. Woelfel, Jr., the appellees (owners). On 9 November 1973, the State sought and obtained an ex parte order permitting it to enter the land “for the purpose of construction of an armory.” Thereafter, according to the owners, the State survey crews staked out an armory on the land. On 28 November 1973, a jury returned an inquisition 2 in the amount of $1,224,000. On that…