City of Oroville v. Superior Court of Butte Cnty.

Opinion of the Court by Cuéllar, J.

**307 *806 *1097 A dental practice suffered damage when raw sewage began spewing from the toilets, sinks, and drains of its building. The resulting damage triggered the inverse condemnation claim - an action to recover damages for injuries to private property caused by a public improvement - at the heart of this case. The dentists contend the City of Oroville (the City) is legally responsible for the property damage, because it was caused by the *1098 sewer system's failure to function as intended. According to the dentists, the failure was manifest when the system…