Sparks Fly Over an Easement

A large electric company exercised its right of eminent domain to build a power line over our corporate client’s West Texas ranch. The fight was over what the taking was worth, and it was tried in Motley County.

We brought experts in electricity to the county seat in remote Matador, Texas, for a trial that included demonstrations of how electrical power is transmitted and of how far the fields from the line reached.

In one demonstration, a ranch employee held a common fluorescent light tube 100 feet from the power line, outside the easement. The tube was not connected to any power source, yet the field from the line was strong enough to make it glow.

The jury found that the utility was trespassing by projecting electromagnetic fields beyond its easement. The damages award was more than ten times the compensation the utility had offered.