Los Angeles Unified School District v. Trump Wilshire Associates

This case involves the decision of the Los Angeles Unified School District of Los Angeles County (the District) to condemn the Ambassador Hotel property, and its later decision to abandon the condemnation in the midst of the decline in commercial real estate values in Southern California. In the interim, the owner of the property, Trump Wilshire Associates, was forced to delay plans for development—plans which may now be impossible to revive. Trump Wilshire appeals the denial of its motion to set aside the abandonment and its motion for damages based on dispossession. We agree with the trial court that these motions lacked the requisite factual support and affirm.

Factual Background

On July 16, 1990, the District filed a complaint in condemnation to acquire the parcel of real property located at mid-Wilshire in Los Angeles on which the Ambassador Hotel lies. The hotel had been closed in 1989. The entire site consists of some 23.48 acres. The District sought to obtain only the southerly 17.11 acres. Appellant Trump Wilshire had acquired the property in 1989 with the announced intention of transforming it into a world-class hotel and constructing a mixed use development.…