Date: 01-16-2009

Case Style: Porretto v. Texas General Land Office

Case Number:

Judge: Susan Criss

Court: District Court, Galveston County, Texas

Plaintiff's Attorney:

Defendant's Attorney:

Description: The Porretto family sued the Texas General Land Office over a prime piece of waterfront real estate between 10th and Sixth streets in Galveston on an inverse condemnation theory claiming that the land office illegally took the family’s land when it leased some of the property to the Galveston Park Board of Trustees, which in turn leased it to concessionaries. They also claimed that because title to the land can be traced back to the Menard Grant, when Texas was still a republic, the Texas Open Beaches Act does not apply to the property. The Porretto family claimed it owned about 27 acres between 27th and 10th streets, property it bought from Galveston Independent School District in the 1950s.

Outcome: Judgment in favor of Plaintiff. Damages will be determined at a later time.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

Comments: