Beachfront property owners want Supreme Court to hear case
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Three homeowners in the town of Porter, with property along Lake Michigan, hope the U.S. Supreme Court will take up their case over beach ownership. Our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana report the plaintiffs want the nation’s high court to undo several lower court rulings that stem from an Indiana statute.
Randall Pavlock, Kimberley Pavlock and Raymond Cahnman are seeking to undo a 2018 Indiana Supreme Court ruling, which was upheld by a federal appellate court, that proclaimed the shoreline of Lake Michigan is owned by the state and held in trust for the enjoyment of all Hoosiers.
In their petition for Supreme Court review, the plaintiffs insist their property deeds include a private beach on Lake Michigan and the loss of their ability to exclude others from “their” beach is unlawful without just compensation from the government.
The publication says the Indiana attorney general’s office is expected next month to urge the Supreme Court reject the plaintiffs’ petition for review.
The U.S. Supreme Court typically receives between 7,000 and 8,000 review petitions each year and rejects all but 80 cases.
A decision on whether it will take this case is likely to be made early next year.