“L” is for Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council

  “L” is for Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council [1992]. This high-profile property-rights case pitted the state of South Carolina’s right to regulate the use of property for the “public good” versus the right of individuals to use the property as they see fit—or to be justly compensated for the loss of the use of the property. When David Lucas purchased two beachfront lots on the Isle of Palms in 1986, the property was not subject to the state’s coastal zone building-permit requirement. The 1988 Beachfront Management act established a baseline along the shore; seaward of that line all structures were prohibited. Lucas filed suit and the SC Supreme Court ruled against him. He then sought redress from the US Supreme Court and, in 1992, won his appeal that he was entitled to compensation.