Flood

Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds & Palmer, LLP originally became involved with the citizens of Ottawa County Oklahoma in 1993. A class action suit was filed in 1994 against Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) alleging Pensacola Dam and Grand Lake caused flood damage to property owned by some 100 people, businesses and governmental entities. GRDA paid over $12.5 million in settlement and verdicts in 2005 and 2006 as a result of this lawsuit.

Lead counsel in the 1994 suit, Larry Bork, is also involved in another action filed against GRDA in 2001 for inverse condemnation. More recently a third lawsuit was in 2008, focusing on flooding that occurred in 2007 and some minor flooding which occurred in early 2008 and 2009.

If your property sustains flood damage, you have one (1) year from the date of the flood to file a claim for trespass. A Tort Claim can be filed with the Oklahoma Department of Central Services, Risk Management Division and the Grand River Dam Authority. You will see several links below related to filing a tort claim against the State of Oklahoma, including online claim form submission.

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Additionally, if property is flooded by an entity such as GRDA, the owner has a cause of action for constitutional damage to the property, which has a three (3)-year statute of limitations. If the flooding causes a significant interference with the use and enjoyment of property, there is a cause of action for a constitutional taking of property, which has a fifteen (15)-year statute of limitations.

If you have recently suffered damages and are interested in pursuing a claim, please contact us at flood@gseplaw.com.