(a) On a day fixed by the Court, a hearing shall then be had on the issue of damages as presented in the return. At such hearing all interested parties may present evidence and argument regarding the question of damages, their amount and apportionment, as are permitted under this section or at the discretion of the Court. At the close of said hearing, the Court shall enter an order affixing damages in such manner as it determines the evidence warrants.
(b) All damage questions shall be decided as provided in this chapter and shall include, but not be limited to, the right of the legal title holder to recover the actual value of the real property, the right of the county or municipality to recover reasonable expenses for its loss of use of said vacated land, whether jurisdiction has been acquired by title, dedication, easement or other means, and any reasonable costs and expenses incurred, as a result of said vacation resulting from an impact to other lands within the jurisdiction of the county or municipality.
(c) Payment of damages shall be in such amounts and under such terms and conditions as the Superior Court, by order, shall direct. Any order of the Superior Court to vacate a dedication of property shall not become final until all damages have been paid in accordance with the Court’s order.
(d) Whenever any interested party neglects or omits to pay or tender the amount of ascertained damages to the parties or persons entitled to the same, said interested party shall be subject to the contempt power of the Court upon proper application by any party or person to whom damages are payable pursuant to the terms of the Court’s order regarding same.
(e) Any other provision of this chapter notwithstanding, the Court in making determination as to what damages shall be paid by the county or municipality shall consider only 2 factors:
(1) Only persons owning real property abutting the property or part thereof to be vacated shall be entitled to recover damages; and
(2) Any damages which may be otherwise recoverable by such persons or organizations from the county must be offset by a monetary estimate of the benefit to be derived by said persons or organizations.
66 Del. Laws, c. 423, § 1.
Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.
LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.
The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.
You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.
The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.
Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.