Dawn Robinson Eminent Domain Legal Defense Fund
Preserving a Family Legacy. Defending Private Property Rights.
We have reached our first goal. But the legal fight continues.
This is an important milestone. It is not the end of Dawn’s legal fight.
Dawn needs sustained legal representation as she challenges Middle Township’s effort to take her property through eminent domain. Your continued support helps fund the legal work required to protect her property rights, evaluate the Township’s compensation offer, prepare legal arguments, and respond as this case moves forward.
What your support makes possible
$45 helps fund six minutes of legal work.
$225 funds thirty minutes.
$450 funds one hour.
$900 funds two hours of legal representation.
Your donation is tax deductible!
Every donation helps keep an attorney at Dawn’s side.
The Dawn Robinson Legal Defense Fund is administered by Truth & Record.
If you have already donated, thank you. You helped Dawn reach the first critical milestone. Please continue standing with her.
Donate again if you are able. Share this campaign with your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and organizations. A $5, $10, $25 or $45 contribution becomes much more powerful when hundreds of people participate.
No donation is too small.
We don’t want Dawn to face this alone.
Case Updates
August 12, 2026
Dawn appeared at mediation today with attorney Jeffrey Brennan representing her. We will share information about the status of the case as appropriate while protecting confidential attorney-client communications and mediation discussions. Thank you to every person whose contribution helped put legal counsel beside Dawn today!
Superior Court of New Jersey, Ocean County, Docket No. OCN-L-1384-23 unanimously decided Township of Jackson v. Getzel Bee, LLC. In that decision, the Court held that New Jersey law does not authorize condemning private property merely to exchange it with a developer for other property that will serve a public purpose. The Court emphasized that private property must itself be taken for a public use and criticized governmental conduct that failed to "turn square corners" with property owners.
July 26, 2026
Litigation Pending: After failing to find a resolution during mediation, Middle Township has requested that the Atlantic County Civil Court schedule a hearing as soon as practical.
August 28, 2026
The Mission
Dawn Robinson is fighting a landmark eminent domain legal battle in Whitesboro, NJ, to stop Middle Township from seizing her family's land for Ryan Homes, a private developer. This case is part of a growing statewide movement to hold municipalities accountable for eminent domain abuse.
Why this case matters
Dawn's property is located in historic Whitesboro, a community founded in the early twentieth century as a place where African American families could own land, build homes, and create opportunities that had long been denied elsewhere.
Many of those same families continue to own property passed from one generation to the next.
Supporters believe this case presents important questions, including:
Whether private property may be condemned for transfer to a private developer.
Whether all requirements of New Jersey's Eminent Domain Act were properly followed.
Whether property owners received the procedural protections guaranteed by law.
Whether redevelopment decisions have disproportionately affected a historically African American community.
Whether previous agreements resolving earlier condemnation efforts should limit the Township's current actions.
Why your support matters
Every property owner has a stake in how eminent domain laws are applied.
Regardless of where you live or your views on redevelopment, this case raises an important question.
When the government exercises the extraordinary power to take private property, are constitutional protections and statutory safeguards being fully observed?
Supporting this legal defense helps ensure those questions receive a full hearing before the courts.
In the news
We are seeing a pattern across the state, from Ocean County to Cape May, where municipalities are using procedural shortcuts to clear land for developers.
Dawn Robinson is drawing a line in the sand.
A history of the dispute
This is not the first time Dawn Robinson has faced the loss of her family's property.
In 2018, Middle Township initiated an earlier eminent domain action involving portions of Whitesboro. That litigation resulted in a settlement agreement involving certain property owners. During the current case, that settlement agreement was presented to the court because Dawn contends it is relevant to the Township's renewed effort to condemn some of the same properties.
After Dawn's previous attorney withdrew from the case earlier this year, she was forced to represent herself for several months in a complex eminent domain action.
Despite having no legal training, she continued filing pleadings, responding to motions, and appearing in court while searching for new counsel.
The court has scheduled mediation for August 12, making legal representation especially urgent.
Dawn has identified an experienced New Jersey eminent domain attorney. His immediate retainer is $3,000, and his hourly rate is $450.
Why is Truth & Record involved?
Truth & Record has agreed to support the Dawn Robinson Legal Defense Fund by managing Dawn’s fundraising campaign. We created our organization as a way to give the historically silenced a voice and to shine a light of truth on injustice. Eminent Domain has long been used to steal land, particularly from Black and Brown communities. We believe this case is a modern example of land theft and are committed to assisting Dawn in any way we can.
Campaign contributions do not pass through Dawn’s personal accounts. Truth & Record receives donations and pays approved legal expenses associated with Dawn’s defense.
We are committed to financial transparency. Supporters have access to campaign information showing funds received and funds disbursed so donors can see how their contributions support Dawn’s legal defense.