After a grueling 14-year battle between Whittington and the State of Texas, the Texas Supreme Court deemed the 1999 condemnation of Whittington’s downtown block to, in fact, be lawful. A series of appeals from both parties prolonged this settlement, ending with the State paying a bargain price for the block that existed in Whittington’s family for a decade prior to condemnation. The $14.1 million is a steal for the State according to Whittington, who points out the court’s failure to take into consideration the amount of profit he could have made through his own development of the block. However, because the ultimate usage of the space by the State consisted of a parking garage and cooling facility for daily public use, the project was seen as maintaining the public good. The Court ruled that because the State did not resort to fraudulent or deceptive means to condemn the property, the process was fair and just. In the end, the State still has to pay an exorbitant $14.1 million for a single downtown block even though they won the case. Of course, to Whittington, the price is far below that true value of the land.

To read more about Whittington and the $14.1 million case, please click here.