City of Detroit v. Yellen

Defendants, property owners, appeal the jury award in condemnation proceedings tried below. They claim denial of due process in that the plaintiff city took their property without paying just compensation. (US Const Am 5 and Am 14; Mich Const 1963, art 10, § 2.) Specifically, defendants contend that a municipal government, when acting as condemnor, should be estopped from assessing the value of private property at one rate for purposes of the ad valorem property tax and at a lesser value for purposes of condemnation. They argue that the property tax valuation should be the minimum amount at…