Evans v. Brown

Plaintiff filed a complaint for a writ of mandamus seeking to compel the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation to initiate condemnation proceedings for the alleged taking of her property located in Champaign County. The trial court dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, declaring the Court of Claims had proper jurisdiction. Plaintiff appeals, and we affirm.

The following facts are not in dispute. Sometime in 1980 or earlier, plaintiff purchased a 75- by 1,507-foot strip of land stretching over eight parcels adjacent to the east side of Neil Street in Champaign, Illinois. The…