Pa. woman wins cemetery property rights Supreme Court case

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Pa. woman wins cemetery property rights Supreme Court case

Associated Press | Friday, June 21, 2019 11:00 a.m.

In this Sept. 21, 2018 photo, Pennsylvania resident Rose Mary Knick stands next to a private property sign on her farmland in Lackawanna County’s Scott Township. The Supreme Court is siding with Knick in a case that gives citizens another avenue to pursue claims when they believe states and local governments have harmed their property rights. The high court ruled Friday in the case.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is siding with a Pennsylvania woman in a case that gives citizens another way to pursue claims when they believe states and local governments have harmed their property rights.

The high court ruled Friday in the case of Rose Mary Knick. She tried to bring a lawsuit in federal court after her town passed a law that requires anyone with a cemetery on their land to open it to the public during the day. Knick argued that in passing the law the state was in essence taking her property without paying her for it.

A federal court threw out Knick’s case, ruling she had to go to state court first.

After the Supreme Court’s ruling, Knick will be able to take her case to federal court.

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