The dispute began when the Arkansas State Highway Commission condemned two parcels of the William Major Lewis Trust on Aug. 7, 2015 for widening Dave Ward Drive and installing roundabouts, taking 1.62 acres and leaving the trust with restricted frontage on the main thoroughfare.
The trust argued that the loss of direct access to Dave Ward Drive—an arterial link to Interstate 40—cut off commercial viability, forcing the owners to spend roughly $4 million on a new Amity Road and east‑west connector to regain usable frontage.
In June 2024 a jury awarded the trust $3 million, a figure far above the commission’s $417,825 estimate but below the trust’s $3.8869 million appraisal. Judge Thomas L. Garner also granted interest, attorney fees, and appraiser costs, citing the jury’s verdict as a fair assessment of the market loss.
On appeal, the commission contended that road‑building costs were irrelevant, but the Court of Appeals rejected that argument, holding that such costs can inform a jury’s valuation of a partial taking. The ruling, finalized on Oct. 28, 2026, confirms the trust’s claim and leaves the state to comply with the $3 million judgment while the commission seeks further relief in the lower court.