Hele v. United States

The plaintiff sues for the value of improvements on a tract of land which he leased, under an instrument designated as a license, from the Panama Canal on March 21, 1923. The license was cancelled on November 30, 1939, under a provision thereof, which reads as follows:

The licensee agrees that if at any time it shall become necessary for the United States to occupy the whole or any portion of the land covered by this license, it shall have the right to enter upon and take possession of said land without further compensation to the licensee than the reasonable value of the improvements made by…