what type of court would hear an eminent domain case between a city and property owner?

Answer 1

Normally Superior Court of the county the city is in. However, if there get to be federal issues, such as Constitutional rights, then it would be taken to the federal district court.

Personally, I think eminent domain should always be a federal case, under the Fourth Amendment rules regarding unreasonable search and seizure. Too often the city seizes a person's property for reasons that are not justified, such as turning it over to a developer for a shopping center. If there is an important public building to put up, why not let those who want to sell their property for such things to compete for the price, rather than assuming the right to take property an owner does not want to sell.

After all, it's not always just about money. If a person has lived their whole lives in that house, and perhaps even their parents before them, there's a lot more than money involved. Even if they've not lived there all that long, it can mean more to them than any dollar figure could express. And often they are not offered even a fair market value, let alone more to compensate for the emotional upheaval of having it taken away involuntarily.