Princeton Address
Duane Morris LLP
P.O. Box 5203
Princeton, NJ 08543-5203
Phone: 609.631.2468
Fax: 609.631.2401

George J. Kroculick practices in the area of real estate law with a focus on eminent domain and highway access management and control, land use and land use litigation, relocation assistance, tax appeal matters and general commercial litigation. Mr. Kroculick has represented clients before local and county land use boards and has worked on lease litigation matters as well as title disputes.

Mr. Kroculick represents private property owners whose property has been claimed for transportation right of way and other public projects. He has represented private and public sector clients in condemnations of environmentally sensitive properties as well. Mr. Kroculick is listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business for real estate law and has written and lectured frequently on issues regarding condemnation law, relocation expenses and the public use doctrine.

Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Mr. Kroculick is a member of the American, New Jersey and Pennsylvania bar associations as well as an affiliate member of the Appraisal Institute. He is a member of the editorial board of the International Counsel of Shopping Centers' publication, Shopping Center Legal Update, and also is a member of the IRWA. Mr. Kroculick is a 1983 graduate of Villanova University School of Law and a cum laude graduate of Villanova University.

Representative Matters

Represented Getty in an eminent domain action. DOT condemned a small piece of the client's service station property and closed two separate access points on its corner location. Successfully presented to DOT how the loss of access would have required customers to essentially pass the pumps on a state highway and make a U-turn into the site and circle back to the pumps—showing DOT how this was unsafe and how the public understood it to be unsafe. Result was the reopening of the access points and compensation by DOT for land taken.
Successfully represented BP in a condemnation by the Turnpike of a BP terminal. Initially, the Turnpike sought to take a 4.5 million gallon storage tank but only after building a temporary roadway system around the site. The Turnpike offered to pay BP $1,150,000 for the taking. Mr. Kroculick worked with the engineers and real estate professionals of BP and the Turnpike to provide a resolution that saved time and money for both BP and the Turnpike. Rather than building the temporary road system, BP would rebuild on its own property new tanks, related improvements, as well as new internal roadways and related infrastructure - all prior to the demolition of its original improvements. The Turnpike did not have to expend millions of dollars on a merely temporary roadway and BP received new improvements on its own property that allowed it to continue business functions during re-construction. BP's eventual compensation exceeded $6,000,000.
Represented ExxonMobil and Sunoco in the valuation phase of an eminent domain action. Demonstrating the deficiencies in the city's appraisal regarding valuation methodologies with regard to improvement and relocation expenses, Mr. Kroculick helped our clients settle the matter from an initial $3,000,000 offer to a final settlement of $7,150,000.
Successfully represented Getty in an eminent domain action by DOT. In this case, DOT condemned a relatively narrow strip of the client's land used for a service station along a state highway, leaving the canopy and pumps so close to the road that the gas station attendant or an open car door would have been in the right of way. The state's proposal was to simply block the drive aisle closest to the highway, effectively devaluing the property and undercutting profitability. Mr. Kroculick argued that the taking required a complete raze and rebuild of the site. Unique among the valuation arguments was "total temporary take damages" during the time required to tear down and rebuild the property. End compensation went from an initial offer of $18,000 to a settlement of more than $500,000.

Professional Activities

New Jersey Bar Association
- Land Use Law Section
American Bar Association
- Committee on Condemnation, Zoning and Land Use Litigation
Pennsylvania Bar Association
Philadelphia Bar Association
- Real Property Section
Appraisal Institute
- Affiliate member
International Right of Way Association (IRWA)

Admissions

New Jersey
Pennsylvania
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Education

Villanova University School of Law, J.D., 1983
Villanova University, B.A., cum laude, 1980

Experience

Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 2005-present
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll LLP
- Partner, 2001-2005

Board Memberships

Family "Y" of Burlington County, New Jersey
- President of the Board of Trustees, 1992-1996
Editorial Board, Shopping Center Legal Update, publication of The International Counsel of Shopping Centers

Honors and Awards

Listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, 2008 edition

Selected Publications

Co-author, "Delaware Governor Vetoes Bill Restricting Use of Eminent Domain," Duane Morris Alert, July 2, 2008
Author, "Missouri Supreme Court Grants Shopping Center Owner Right to Sue City for Damages Caused by Threat of Condemnation, But...," Duane Morris Alert, June 13, 2008
Co-author, "Florida Appellate Court Upholds Ruling that Budget Change Does Not Allow a Buyer to Cancel Contract," Duane Morris Alert, June 12, 2008
Co-author, "California Voters Pass Eminent Domain Reform: Impact Limited," Duane Morris Alert, June 5, 2008
Co-author, "California to Vote Again on Eminent Domain Restrictions," Duane Morris Alert, March 28, 2008
Co-author, "The Importance of Condemnation and Access Clauses in Commercial Leases," Retail Law Strategist, November 2007
"Nevada Joins National Trend in Responding to Kelo Decision on Eminent Domain," Duane Morris Alert, June 28, 2007
"New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Application of Blight Designation in Ongoing National Debate over Eminent Domain," Duane Morris Alert, June 22, 2007
"New York Restricts Use of Eminent Domain by Utilities, Part of National Trend," Duane Morris Alert, October 18, 2006
"Illinois Latest State to Respond to Kelo Decision," Duane Morris Alert, September 5, 2006
"California Part of National Backlash Against Supreme Court's Eminent Domain Decision," Duane Morris Alert, May 25, 2006
"Georgia Enacts Restrictions to Eminent Domain, Part of a National Trend," Duane Morris Alert, May 15, 2006
"New Jersey Assembly Holds Hearings on Eminent Domain, Part of a National Debate," Duane Morris Alert, April 17, 2006