City of Houston v. De Trapani

OPINION

JUNELL, Justice.

This case involves the liability of a municipality for erroneously interpreting its own ordinance. After enacting new regulations applicable to portable signs, the city of Houston gave notice to sign owners of an impending deadline for sign removal. The plaintiffs took down their billboards in reliance on the city’s mistaken reading of the law, only to learn of the error after the deadline for erecting “new” signs — resulting in a loss of what had been their business. A jury found the city had effected an unconstitutional taking of property, and the plaintiffs procured…