Matt Hurt

Bar / Professional Activity

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• Dallas Bar Association
• Federal Courts in Texas
• Dallas Bar Association
• Colorado, 2002
• Colorado Bar Association
• Texas Aggie Bar Association
• Texas Courts statewide

Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)

• Settlement of a whole taking of multiple commercial and manufacturing buildings situated on over 2.5 acres off of North Commerce Street in Fort Worth for Trinity River Vision Project. The initial offer of $1,989,000, was increased to a net recovery for the landowner of approximately $5,986,000 (not including additional relocation benefits)., 2019
• Settlement of a TxDOT case for the expansion of I-35W in Fort Worth. The taking imposed a denial of access and took away two of the three driveways for the property. The offer of approximately $421,000 was increased to a net recovery for the landowner of approximately $1,100,000., 2019
• Settlement of two cases for a family in Melissa, Texas against Atmos Energy for the taking of a gas pipeline easement along the property’s SH 121 frontage. The initial combined offer in the two cases of approximately $242,000 was increased to a net recovery of $769,000., 2018
• Settlement of a whole taking of a 30,000 sqft commercial site with existing commercial building that housed a business off of North Main Street in Fort Worth for Trinity River Vision Project. The initial offer of $800,000, was increased to a net recovery for the landowner of approximately $1,650,000 (not including additional relocation benefits)., 2019
• Settlement of a taking from an auto repair business property in Fort Worth for Trinity River Vision Project. The initial offer of approximately $85,000 was increased for a net recovery for the landowner of approximately $322,000., 2018
• Settlement of the taking of the front parking lot from a business in Fort Worth for the Trinity River Vision Project. The initial offer was approximately $421,000, and the net recovery for the landowner was approximately $1,110,000., 2018
• Settlement of a powerline condemnation case representing Texas Municipal Power Agency resulting in a net recovery of $1.066 million, a 35% increase over the condemnor’s initial offer. The settlement was obtained quickly, with minimal expenses and before the condemnation lawsuit was even filed. (2016) Matt settled another case for TMPA resulting in a net recovery of $992,000, which was approximately 5 times the initial offer., 2017
• Settlement (confidential amount) in an environmental damage case against a pipeline company that allegedly released waste materials created during its construction and testing of a new pipeline in Erath County.  Dawson & Sodd did not represent the landowner in the initial acquisition of the pipeline easement (the landowner’s local lawyer did), but after the acquisition was complete and construction began, Dawson & Sodd sought additional damages from the pipeline company for violations of the easement terms, including allegedly releasing arsenic contaminants onto the landowner’s property in and around the easement area.  In addition to monetary compensation recovered, the pipeline company remediated the allegedly contaminated area., 2017
• Settlement of six (6) different TxDOT highway takings cases for four landowner families in Ennis (Ellis County) involving the taking of land fronting along existing U.S. 287 for the widening and expansion of that highway in the southern portion of Ennis. The combined initial offers from TxDOT in the six cases of $942,991 was increased to a net recovery of just over $2,294,000 (after litigation expenses and legal fees), representing an average net increase of 2.43 times the initial offers in all six cases. The lowest net increase obtained was 1.71 times the initial offer, and the highest increase was 4.05 times the initial offer. (2017-2018)
• Settlement of a school site acquisition case brought in Collin County by Prosper Independent School District (“PISD”) which sought to condemn a very valuable 35 acre future commercial corner site in Frisco, Texas.  The settlement resulting in the conveyance to PISD of approximately 33 acres at a much more favorable site for the landowner instead of the loss of much more valuable 35 acre corner site PISD sought to condemn in the condemnation case.  PISD ultimately agreed to dismiss the condemnation case seeking the 35 acres and instead took the 33 acres that was much less valuable to the landowner.  The settlement preserved the valuable corner tract worth between $11M and $16M (for which PISD initially offered only $3,062,500).  In addition to preserving the valuable corner, our firm was able to obtain for the landowner the net amount of $4,063,000 (after legal fees and expenses) for the inferior 33 acres--$1,000,000 more than it was offered for the 35 acre valuable commercial corner site, 2017

Pro bono / Community Service

• Member of Northwest Bible Church
• President of Ranch POA Board of Directors for 1300 acre residential ranch development in Colorado

Honors

• Selected to the Rising Stars list published annually by Thomson Reuters service in construction litigation in 2005, and in the area of eminent domain in 2013 and 2015
• Selected to the Texas Super Lawyers list published annually by Thomson Reuters service for eminent domain for 2014 through 2024.

Educational Background

• Texas A&M University, Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, 1996, magna cum laude

Scholarly Lectures / Writings

• CLE Presentation: Eminent Domain, Texas Aggie Bar Association Annual Meeting, March 2015, Texas A&M University
• CLE Presentation:  Overview of Texas Condemnation and Eminent Domain Law, Collin County Bench/Bar Conference, March 2012
• CLE Presentation:  Presenting Your Case with Demonstrative Evidence, Center for American and International Law; Planning, Zoning, and Eminent Domain Seminar 2010, SMU Plano Campus
• CLE Presentation:  Attacking an Appraiser by Attacking the Other Experts, Attacking and Defending an Appraisal in Litigation CLE Conference in Austin, November 17-18, 2016
• Improving the Landowner’s Odds in Eminent Domain Cases, published in April 2015 issue of Headnotes for the Dallas Bar Association, co-authored with Tyler Milton and Jody McSpadden

• and any Landowners of Good Will and Good Cheer
• Business Owners
• Developers
• Farmers
• Investors
• Landowners
• Ranchers