3 Cobb Landowners Win $700K In Silver Comet Trail Lawsuits

COBB COUNTY, GA — Three Cobb County property owners were awarded more than $700,000 total by the federal government as compensation for former railroad land set to be part of the Silver Comet Trail.

At least 10 Cobb landowners along the trail have claimed in federal court that they had a right to land that was once used for a railroad. The land was originally acquired for the CSX Transportation Inc. railroad through easements, some dating back to 1903, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The property owners — varying between individuals and companies — argued that they should have had rights to the railroad land once CSX abandoned the easements in 2019. This land was later turned into a portion of the Silver Comet Trail.

Christine and Michael Howarth, Ferrero Hodges Investment Group and Lisenby Real Estate Investments are three of the property owners staking claim to this land, which abuts the former CSX rail line between the East-West Connector and Plant Atkinson Road, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.

These three plaintiffs reached a settlement with the federal government March 8, the plaintiffs' attorney, Meghan Largent of the law firm Lewis Rice, said in an email. Lewis Rice is representing five of the other property owners, whose lawsuit is still pending.

Details of the settlement are confidential, the MDJ reported, but the total amount paid out is in excess of $700,000.

Read more on the MDJ's website here.

Read more on the AJC's website here.