Boise Cascade Corp. v. Board of Forestry

935 P.2d 411, 325 Or. 185, 1997 Ore. LEXIS 29
Oregon Supreme Court·Decided April 10, 1997·No. CC 93-2018; CA A79626; SC S42159·Published·Cited by 48 cases

Opinion

*187 GILLETTE, J.

This is an inverse condemnation case in which plaintiff Boise Cascade asserts that the defendant State of Oregon, acting through its Board of Forestry, has “taken” certain property of Boise Cascade by promulgating a rule that, Boise Cascade alleges, denies Boise Cascade all beneficial use of the property. 1 The state seeks review of a decision of the Court of Appeals, which reversed a circuit court order that dismissed plaintiffs inverse condemnation action under ORCP 21 2 on several grounds. Boise Cascade Corp. v. Board of Forestry, 131 Or App 538, 886 P2d 1033 (1994) (Boise I). 3 There are two issues before us: (1) whether, in an inverse condemnation proceeding of this kind, a court should (or must) stay its own proceeding until the agency first has an opportunity to determine whether the application of its rule effected a “taking” and, if not, (2) whether plaintiff has stated a claim in this case. We conclude that plaintiffs complaint properly was before the circuit court, because the circuit *188 court and the Board share concurrent jurisdiction in this case. We also conclude that certain of the allegations in plaintiffs complaint are sufficient to survive a motion to dismiss.

FACTS

In February 1992, plaintiff filed a proposal with the Oregon Department of Forestry (the Department) to log a 64-acre parcel of plaintiffs land (the Walker Creek Unit). 4 The land contains northern spotted owl nests and is subject to the northern spotted owl protection provisions of OAR 629-24-809, which the Board of Forestry (the Board) adopted in 1990. 5 The Department denied the proposal on the ground that the logging plan did not provide sufficient protection for spotted owl habitat, as required by OAR 629-24-809.

In May 1992, plaintiff submitted an amended logging plan. The Department again denied the proposal, pursuant to OAR 629-24-809, but advised plaintiff that eight specified acres of the Walker Creek Unit could be logged, if the logging did not take place either between March 1 and *189 September 30,1992 (which was the critical period of use), or until young spotted owls fledged. Plaintiff appealed that decision to the Board arguing, inter alia, that such an application of OAR 629-24-809 to its Walker Creek Unit property effected a “taking” of that property under the state and federal constitutions.

On January 15, 1993, the Board rejected plaintiffs challenge and entered a final order denying plaintiffs logging plan for the 64 acres. With respect to plaintiffs “takings” argument, the Board stated:

“Boise Cascade appears to have been undecided as to the appropriate time to advance this argument. Although it asserts * * * that such an argument is not premature, it did not at hearing attempt to present evidence that any ‘taking 5 had in fact occurred. * * * Certainly!,] there is an inadequate factual basis upon which to advance any claim of a constitutional taking.”

On February 1,1993, plaintiff filed this inverse condemnation action in Clatsop County Circuit Court, alleging that the Board’s application of its administrative rule constituted a “taking” under Article I, section 18, of the Oregon Constitution, and under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. 6 (Boise I).

On February 22, 1993, after it had filed the present action, plaintiff submitted a plan to log four of the eight acres that the Department previously had agreed could be harvested. On March 8, 1993, the Department approved plaintiffs plan, subject to a condition that the logging not begin until October 1, 1993, and end by March 1, 1994, when no nesting would take place. Plaintiff appealed that temporal *190 restriction to the Board and argued, inter alia, that the temporal restriction also constituted a temporary “taking” under the state and federal constitutions.

On March 17,1993, while its second “takings” claim concerning the four-acre parcel still was pending before the Board, plaintiff petitioned the Court of Appeals for judicial review of the Board’s January 15,1993, order. (Boise IB-

On April 19,1993, the Board rejected plaintiffs challenge to the temporal restriction concerning the four acres and entered a second final order. In that order, the Board did not address the “takings” issue. Rather, the Board stated that “[t]he issue of whether there is a taking would more properly be [addressed] in a court of competent jurisdiction, once administrative remedies are exhausted.”

On April 22, 1993, plaintiff filed a supplemental complaint in the present circuit court action, alleging that the separate temporal restriction on logging the four acres constituted a separate “taking.” (Boise I)-

On April 26,1993, plaintiff filed a second petition for judicial review, seeking review of the Board’s April 19, 1993, order that refused to remove the temporal condition on logging of the four acres. As noted, the Court of Appeals consolidated that proceeding with the earlier administrative review proceeding. (Boise II)-

In May 1993, the circuit court granted the state’s motion to dismiss the entire inverse condemnation claim on the grounds that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over the dispute, that the action was not ripe, and that the complaint failed to state a claim. {Boise I)- Plaintiff appealed the circuit court’s ruling to the Court of Appeals, which reversed the dismissal of plaintiffs inverse condemnation claim on all three grounds. The state petitioned for review. 7

*191 DISCUSSION

I. Jurisdiction

The first issue presented is whether, as the state argues, in a regulatory “takings” claim, the agency that promulgated the rule that is alleged to effect a “taking” has primary jurisdiction to determine whether the application of that rule does, in fact, constitute a “taking.” 8 The Court of Appeals held that the Board and the circuit court have concurrent jurisdiction over plaintiff’s “takings” claims, but declined to decide whether the Board has any “decisional authority” initially to decide the “takings” issue. Boise 1,131 Or App at 546-49.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Boise Cascade Corp. v. Board of Forestry, 935 P.2d 411, 325 Or. 185, 1997 Ore. LEXIS 29 (Or. 1997).

935 P.2d 411 (Boise Cascade Corp. v. Board of Forestry) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Bohr v. Tillamook County Creamery Assn.
Oregon Supreme Court, 2025
Madden Industrial v. Steel Buildings USA
328 Or. App. 257 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2023)
GEORGIA POWER COMPANY v. CAZIER
303 Ga. 820 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 2018)
Ga. Power Co. v. Cazier
815 S.E.2d 922 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 2018)
Guembes v. Roberts
398 P.3d 507 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2017)
State v. Alderwoods (Oregon), Inc.
336 P.3d 1047 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2014)
Hall v. State
326 P.3d 1165 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2014)
Dunn v. City of Milwaukie
328 P.3d 1261 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2014)
Love v. Prime, Inc.
312 P.3d 562 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2013)
Wallace v. STATE EX REL. PERB
263 P.3d 1020 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2011)
Dave Molony v. Crook County
434 F. App'x 716 (Ninth Circuit, 2011)
Mossberg v. University of Oregon
247 P.3d 331 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2011)
West Linn Corporate Park, L.L.C. v. City of West Linn
240 P.3d 29 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2010)
David Hill Development, LLC v. City of Forest Grove
688 F. Supp. 2d 1193 (D. Oregon, 2010)
Boise Cascade Corp. v. State Ex Rel. Board of Forestry
174 P.3d 587 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2007)
Utility Reform Project v. Oregon Public Utility Commission
170 P.3d 1074 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2007)
Scherzinger v. Portland Custodians Civil Service Board
149 P.3d 142 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2006)
Dreyer v. Portland General Electric Co.
142 P.3d 1010 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2006)