Supreme Court might decide this week to hear case involving Chicago's Blommer Chocolate Company
(Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
CHICAGO - When the Supreme Court meets this week, justices might decide to take on a case involving Blommer Chocolate Company of Chicago.
When you head into Chicago, you can often smell chocolate coming off the factory, which is located in River West.
The case involving Blommer started about two decades ago, when Blommer wanted to expand. The company offered Fred Eychaner $824,980 for his next-door property in 2002, but Eychaner rejected the offer, reports Crain's Chicago Business.
In 2005, the city of Chicago started eminent domain proceedings to take the property from Eychaner and give it to Blommer, starting all parties on a path to the Supreme Court. Eychaner claims it's unconstitutional for the city to take his property and hand it off to another business.
Agreeing to hear the case would give the court the opportunity to overturn a 2005 case that has been roundly criticized by conservatives. In that case, the court divided 5-4 to say that the city of New London, Connecticut, could use eminent domain to take private property and then sell it to private developers as part of an attempt to revitalize the city. The decision was written by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who acknowledged it was the most unpopular opinion he ever wrote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.