Eminent domain is a public policy issue that has been around for centuries. As long as government can exercise its power, eminent domain has been a debated topic. In most cases, eminent domain is used to provide essential public goods while in other cases it has been used against private entities. Normally, when a unit of government wants to acquire private property the government attempts to negotiate the purchase of the property for fair value. If the landowner does not want to sell, the government can file a court action to exercise eminent domain, and serves or publishes notice of the hearing as required by law. The use, and at times abuse, of this law contributes to ethical dilemmas arising, as with the legal case of The Cottonwood
