Source: https://www.azcivilrightsattorney.com/13-4311.html
Timestamp: 2018-03-18 01:37:04
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A.R.S. § 13-4311
The following information is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be legal advice.
​You should consult with an attorney if you have a specific legal issue.
A.R.S. § 13-4311 Explained
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"A. If a forfeiture is authorized by law, it shall be ordered by a court on an action in rem brought by the state pursuant to a notice of pending forfeiture or a verified complaint for forfeiture. The state may serve the complaint in the manner provided by section 13-4307 or by the Arizona rules of civil procedure." A.R.S. § 13-4311(A).
A.R.S. § 13-4311(A) identifies the documents by which the State of Arizona can initiate a forfeiture in rem. In practice, the attorney for the State will usually send a "Notice of Seizure and Notice of Pending Forfeiture". Sometimes the words "Making Uncontested Forfeiture Available" are included in the title as well.
"B. A civil in rem action may be brought by the state in addition to or in lieu of the civil and criminal in personam forfeiture procedures set forth in sections 13-4312 and 13-4313 or the uncontested civil forfeiture procedures set forth in section 13-4309. Judicial in rem forfeiture proceedings are in the nature of an action in rem and are governed by the Arizona rules of civil procedure unless a different procedure is provided by law." A.R.S. § 13-4311(B).
The State can use in rem forfeiture instead of or in addition to other kinds of forfeiture. In personam forfeiture is often used in conjunction with in rem forfeiture when there are multiple defendants in a criminal case and a large amount of money that is allegedly missing. These scenarios sometimes arise in cases that involve money laundering or allegations that the property owners were involved in a criminal enterprise.
"C. On the filing of a civil in rem action by the state in superior court the clerk of the court in which the action is filed shall provide, and the attorney for the state may provide, the notice of pending forfeiture required by section 13-4307 unless the files of the clerk of the court reflect that such notice has previously been made." A.R.S. § 13-4311(C).
When uncontested forfeiture is not made available by the State, it will usually initiate a civil forfeiture case by filing a Notice of Seizure and Notice of Pending Forfeiture in a single document with the clerk of the court, and the agency pursuing forfeiture will serve that document on potential Claimants by U.S. first class mail and/or certified mail.
"D. An owner of or interest holder in the property may file a claim against the property, within thirty days after the notice, for a hearing to adjudicate the validity of his claimed interest in the property. The hearing shall be held by the court without a jury." A.R.S. § 13-4311(D).
﻿﻿You will have 30 days to file a Verified Claim after you are served with Notice of Pending Forfeiture.
note on Rule 6(e).
﻿​Ariz. R. Civ. P. 6(e). If your Notice included the words "Making Uncontested Forfeiture Available" you will have 30 days [but see note] to either submit a Petition for Mitigation or Remission to the agency handling the forfeiture, or to file a Verified Claim with the Court, if you file it in response to being served with the initial Notice of Pending Forfeiture.
"E. The claim shall be signed by the claimant under penalty of perjury and shall set forth all of the following:
8. The precise relief sought." A.R.S. § 13-4311(E).
Section E provides the requirements, and therefore a template, for the Verified Claim. We copy this portion of the statute, paste it in the Claim, and insert the required information between the subsections, so as to be sure to include all necessary information. If we are filing your Verified Claim for you, then we use our firm's address for the address at which you will accept future mailings.
"F. Copies of the claim shall be mailed to the seizing agency and to the attorney for the state. No extension of time for the filing of a claim may be granted." A.R.S. § 13-4311(F).
A forfeiture case is not always lost if you miss the deadline for filing a claim. A court may still set aside a default judgment under some circumstances.
﻿There are two important parts to this subsection. First, the "seizing agency" is the law enforcement agency such as the local police, border patrol, or sheriff's department, that actually seized the property. When filing a claim, it must be sent to both the attorneys for the State who are handling the forfeiture (such as a County Attorney's Office or the Attorney General) and the seizing agency (e.g., the police). In an in rem forfeiture, the name of the seizing agency can be found on the Notice of Pending Forfeiture in the caption under the list of property. The seizing agency should also be named in the distribution list if the Notice was filed with the court.
The second sentence of subsection F is one of the most important portions of Arizona's forfeiture statutes. The "no extensions of time" provision is very strict.
However, a forfeiture case is not always lost if you miss the deadline for filing a claim. A court may still set aside a default judgment under some circumstances.
"G. Within twenty days after service of the complaint, the claimant shall file and serve the answer to the complaint and the answers to interrogatories and requests for admission if any were served with the complaint. The answer shall be signed by the owner or interest holder under penalty of perjury, shall comply with the Arizona rules of civil procedure relating to answers and shall comply with all of the requirements for claims. If no proper answer is timely filed, the attorney for the state shall proceed as provided in sections 13-4314 and 13-4315 with ten days' notice to any person who has timely filed a claim that has not been stricken by the court." A.R.S. § 13-4311(G).
﻿The time allowed for responding to interrogatories and requests for admission is less than the time allowed under the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure. Compare A.R.S. § 13-4311(G) (20 days) with Ariz. R. Civ. P. 33 and 36 (40 days).
After you file a Verified Claim, the State must file a Complaint. The Complaint is usually the document that starts a civil case. However, in an in rem forfeiture case, either the State or a Claimant can initiate the proceedings in court by filing a document other than the Complaint. If the State is not making uncontested forfeiture available, then it will generally file the Notice of Pending Forfeiture along with a civil cover sheet and compulsory arbitration statement.
If the State is making uncontested forfeiture available, and a property owner decides not to submit a Petition for Remission or Mitigation to the attorney for the State, but instead files a Verified Claim without submitting a Petition, then it may be the case that the property owner files first. In that case, he or she, as the Claimant, will also need to file other documents as required by the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure, to initiate the case. Either way, the State will then subsequently file a Complaint and any Claimant who filed a Verified Claim on time then must file an Answer to the Complaint.
The Answer must comply with the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure. Note, however, that there is no statutory prohibition against extensions of time for filing, as there is with the Claim. Note also that the deadlines for responding to discovery requests is shorter than that provided for by the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure.
"H. At the time of filing its pleadings or at any other time not less than thirty days before the hearing, the state and any claimant who has timely answered the complaint may serve discovery requests on any other party, the answers or response to which shall be due in twenty days, and may take the deposition of any person at any time after the expiration of fifteen days after the filing and service of the complaint. Any party may move for summary judgment at any time after an answer or responsive pleading is served and not less than thirty days before the hearing. The state, as the party defending against the claim, may make offers of judgment at any time more than ten days before the hearing begins." A.R.S. § 13-4311(H).
The subsection provides a timeline and deadlines for "discovery," which is the time in civil litigation that the parties involved can seek information from each other, and disclose information that they will use at trial.
As stated above, the deadlines for responding to discovery requests are shorter in the civil forfeiture statute than they are in the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure, although the Rules of Civil Procedure still apply where the forfeiture statute is silent.
Summary judgment and offers of judgment are procedural maneuvers used in civil litigation. Summary judgment is granted by the court when there are no contested issues of material fact and one party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Ariz. R. Civ. P. 56. An offer of judgment is made to another party as a means of recovering costs. If the other party does not accept the offer of judgment, and does not obtain a judgment that is better than the offer, then the party who made the offer is entitled to the costs of litigation. Ariz. R. Civ. P. 68.
"I. An injured person may submit a request for compensation from forfeited property to the court at any time before the earlier of the entry of a final judgment or an application for an order of the forfeiture of the property, or if a hearing pursuant to subsections K, L and M of this section is held, not less than thirty days before the hearing. The request shall be signed by the requestor under penalty of perjury and shall set forth all of the following:
7. The amount of economic loss for which the requestor seeks compensation." A.R.S. § 13-4311(I).
﻿Under A.R.S. § 13-4301(3), an "injured person" is defined as, "a person who has sustained economic loss, including medical loss, as a result of injury to his person, business or property by the conduct giving rise to the forfeiture of property, and who is not an owner of or an interest holder in the property. Injured person does not include a person who is responsible for the conduct giving rise to forfeiture or a person whose interest would not be exempt from forfeiture if the person were an owner of or interest holder in the property." A.R.S. § 13-4301(3).
So, if you are a person who "is responsible for the conduct giving rise to forfeiture" then you cannot file a claim as an injured person.
The second part of that sentence, with the double negatives, is more confusing. The first part of the definition of "injured person" establishes that an injured person is not an owner of or interest holder in the property that was seized for forfeiture. The question asked in this second part of the definition is: If you were an owner of or interest holder in the property that was seized for forfeiture, would your ownership interest be exempt from forfeiture? If not, then you are not an "injured person."
The deadline for filing a request for compensation under the injured person provision is "not less than 30 days before the hearing". A.R.S. § 13-4311(I). The hearing to which this provision refers is the hearing on the claim, which is discussed in A.R.S. § 13-4311(K).
"J. If a proper request for compensation from forfeited property is timely filed, the court shall hold a hearing to establish whether there is a factual basis for the request. The requestor has the burden of establishing by a preponderance of the evidence that the requestor is an injured person who sustained economic loss." A.R.S. § 13-4311(J).
The hearing discussed in A.R.S. § 13-4311(J) is a hearing for compensation for an injured person, not a Claimant. This hearing addresses only whether there is a factual basis for the request for compensation from an injured person. It does not establish whether any property should be forfeit.
"K. The hearing on the claim, to the extent practicable and consistent with the interest of justice, shall be held sixty days after all parties have complied with the disclosure required by rule 26.1 of the Arizona rules of civil procedure. The court may consolidate the hearing on the claim with a hearing on any other claim concerning the same property." A.R.S. § 13-4311(K).
The hearing discussed in A.R.S. § 13-4311(K) is a bench trial. The difference between a bench trial and a jury trial is that in the former the finder of fact is the judge. There is no right to a jury trial in civil forfeiture cases in Arizona.
"L. At the hearing, the claimant may testify, present evidence and witnesses on the claimant's own behalf and cross-examine witnesses who appear at the hearing. The state may present evidence and witnesses and cross-examine witnesses who appear at the hearing." A.R.S. § 13-4311(L).
A.R.S. § 13-4311(L) makes it clear that the hearing on the claim is a bench trial, not merely an opportunity for oral argument. The Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure and Arizona Rules of Evidence apply.
"M. At the hearing, the state has the burden of establishing by a preponderance of the evidence that the property is subject to forfeiture under section 13-4304. Any claimant who has previously established by a preponderance of the evidence that the claimant is an owner of or interest holder in the property has the burden of establishing by a preponderance of the evidence that the claimant's interest in the property is exempt from forfeiture under section 13-4304." A.R.S. § 13-4311(M).
The first line of defense in a civil forfeiture case, is to prevent the State from proving that the property is subject to forfeiture.
"N. In accordance with its findings at the hearing:
(a) The state has failed to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the interest is subject to forfeiture under section 13-4304.
(b) The claimant has established by a preponderance of the evidence that the interest is exempt from forfeiture under section 13-4304." A.R.S. § 13-4311(N)(1).
Although civil forfeiture is sometimes criticized for placing a burden of proof on the property owner to prove their innocence, this is somewhat misleading. The State has the burden of proof to show that the property is subject to forfeiture in the first place, which it will not always be able to do.
​The reference to 13-4304 is not all that helpful, because that statute simply says that, "All property, including all interests in such property, described in a statute providing for its forfeiture is subject to forfeiture." A.R.S. § 13-4304. You have to look to other statutes then, to get a sense of what the State needs to prove, to meet its initial burden. Anti-racketeering statutes such as A.R.S. § 13-2301 et seq. are frequently cited by the State as grounds for forfeiture.
Although the State must first prove that property is subject to forfeiture, A.R.S. § 13-4310(D) states that, "In any judicial forfeiture hearing, determination or other proceeding pursuant to this chapter, the applicant, petitioner or claimant must establish by a preponderance of the evidence that he is an owner of or interest holder in the property seized for forfeiture before other evidence is taken." A.R.S. § 13-4310(D). Therefore, the Claimant must provide evidence of ownership before the State has to show that the property is subject to forfeiture. If a Claimant cannot provide evidence of ownership, then the State can seek to forfeit the property without having to present evidence that it is subject to forfeiture.
If the State can prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the property is subject to forfeiture, then the Claimant must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he or she is entitled to an exemption under A.R.S. § 13-4304. Note, however, that the first line of defense, so to speak, in a civil forfeiture case, is to prevent the State from proving that the property is subject to forfeiture in the first instance.
If the State cannot prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the property is subject to forfeiture, then the Court must order that the property be returned to the Claimant. (The State would not have to prove that the property was subject to forfeiture if the Claimant had not already proven that he or she was an owner or interest holder.)
The Court must also order that the property be returned if a Claimant can prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he or she is entitled to an exemption under A.R.S. § 13-4304.
"2. The court shall order all other property, including all interests in the property, forfeited to this state and proceed pursuant to sections 13-4314 and 13-4315." A.R.S. § 13-4311(N)(2).
According to its findings at the hearing, the Court must order all property that is not required to be returned to a Claimant, to be forfeit to the State. This is why the State does not need to prove anything, if the Claimant cannot prove ownership at the hearing.
"3. If the court finds that a requestor is an injured person the court shall determine the amount of the injured person's economic loss caused by the conduct giving rise to the forfeiture of the designated property and shall require the following:
(a) If the designated property is not contraband and is not altered or designed for use in conduct giving rise to forfeiture, the attorney for the state shall sell the property as provided in section 13-4315, subsection A, paragraph 2, and shall apply the resulting balance to compensate the injured person's economic loss in the amount found by the court.
(b) If the balance is insufficient to compensate the economic loss of all injured persons the attorney for the state shall distribute the balance among the injured persons according to a method determined by the court." A.R.S. § 13-4311(N)(3).
Subsection (N)(3) addresses what the court must do with regard to any requests for compensation by injured persons. Whether there was a factual basis for the request for compensation was determined in the hearing under A.R.S. § 13-4311(J). The amount of damages is determined at the hearing on the claim, after a determination was made that property should be forfeit to the State because either (1) ownership could not be established by a Claimant, or (2) after ownership was established, the State proved that the property should be forfeit, and a Claimant was not able to prove that he or she was entitled to an exemption.
Note that the State is only required to sell the property if it "is not contraband and is not altered or designed for use in conduct giving rise to forfeiture." A.R.S. § 13-4311(N)(3)(A). The status of some property as "contraband" may be somewhat complex, especially in cases involving marijuana, where the case law is still developing. For example, medical marijuana itself could be seized for forfeiture. However, it is not contraband if it is possessed legally under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. State v. Okun, 231 Ariz. 462, 467 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2013).
"(c) After compensation of all injured persons, the attorney for the state shall transmit ten per cent of the remaining balance, if any, to the Arizona criminal justice commission for deposit in the victim compensation and assistance fund established by section 41-2407.
(d) The attorney for the state shall deposit the remainder of the balance, if any, in an appropriate anti-racketeering revolving fund established by section 13-2314.01 or 13-2314.03." A.R.S. § 13-4311(N)(3)(c)-(d).
Any proceeds from the sale of property that is forfeit to the State, above and beyond proceeds that are paid to injured persons who file a request for compensation, go to two places.
The first 10% of the residual proceeds go to a victim compensation and assistance fund. The other 90% goes to "an appropriate" anti-racketeering fund established by either of two statutes.