20 years ago, Dawn Robinson paid $40,000 for 2.4 acres in New Jersey; Middle Township is now trying to take the land for just $7,000 more

In South Jersey's Middle Township, a war goes on. The township has filed an eminent domain condemnation complaint that seeks to acquire 2.4 acres of land in Whitesboro for a large-scale housing development project. But the woman who owns the property, Dawn Robinson, does not want to give it up, according to a report by WHYY.“The land is already paid for,” Robinson said. “If I wanted to sell, I would have had a ‘for sale’ sign on it. I’m not being rude, I don’t want to sell. I want to keep it for my kids.”An eminent domainWhat does eminent domain mean? Well, an eminent domain gives the government the power to take away someone's private property. However, the Fifth Amendment states a property may only be taken away if it is for public use and the owner is paid just compensation.Middle Township wants to take her land in order to move forward with a multi-million dollar housing development plan, known as the Indian Trail Redevelopment project, to be built by a private, for-profit developer, NVR, Inc, also known as Ryan Homes. A show-cause hearing on the matter that was scheduled for May 6 was postponed until July 1. At a second court appearance in July, Robinson agreed to attend a med...