Case Name: ONE (1) CHARTER ARMS, BULLDOG 44 SPECIAL, SERIAL #794774; One (1) 1984 Chevrolet Corvette, Vin # 1G1AY0786E5126312; and Kevin Williams v. STATE of Mississippi, ex rel., Mike MOORE, Attorney General; The City of Meridian, Mississippi; Lauderdale County, Mississippi; and King Loan Services, Inc.
Court: Mississippi Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Mississippi
Decision Date: 1998-08-27
Citations: 721 So. 2d 620
Docket Number: No. 94-CA-00091-SCT
Parties: ONE (1) CHARTER ARMS, BULLDOG 44 SPECIAL, SERIAL #794774; One (1) 1984 Chevrolet Corvette, Vin # 1G1AY0786E5126312; and Kevin Williams v. STATE of Mississippi, ex rel., Mike MOORE, Attorney General; The City of Meridian, Mississippi; Lauderdale County, Mississippi; and King Loan Services, Inc.
Judges: PRATHER, C.J., and SULLIVAN and PITTMAN, P.JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 721
Pages: 620–631

Head Matter:
ONE (1) CHARTER ARMS, BULLDOG 44 SPECIAL, SERIAL #794774; One (1) 1984 Chevrolet Corvette, Vin # 1G1AY0786E5126312; and Kevin Williams v. STATE of Mississippi, ex rel., Mike MOORE, Attorney General; The City of Meridian, Mississippi; Lauderdale County, Mississippi; and King Loan Services, Inc.
No. 94-CA-00091-SCT.
Supreme Court of Mississippi.
Aug. 27, 1998.
Joseph A. Kieronski, Jr., William B. Jacob, Meridian, for Appellants.
Michael C. Moore, Attorney General, James M. Hood, III, Special Asst. Atty. Gen., for Appellees.

Opinion:
WALLER, Justice,
for the Court:
SUMMARY
¶ 1. After Williams pled guilty to possession of cocaine, the State filed a petition for forfeiture of a 1984 Chevrolet Corvette in the Lauderdale County Circuit Court. After reviewing both parties' motions for Summary Judgment and hearing oral arguments, the trial court ordered that the 1984 Chevrolet Corvette be forfeited. Appellant timely appealed to this Court and assigns the following as error:
I. WHETHER THE STATE FAILED TO SHOW THAT AS A MATTER OF FACT APPELLANT'S 1984 CHEVROLET CORVETTE FACILITATED THE POSSESSION AND/OR TRANSPORTATION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE THEREBY SUBJECTING THE PROPERTY TO FORFEITURE.
II. WHETHER THE FORFEITURE OF THE 1984 CORVETTE FOR POSSESSION OF A RESIDUE OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE VIOLATES THE EXCESSIVE FINES AND CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT PROVISIONS OF THE EIGHTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND ARTICLE III, SECTION 28 OF THE MISSISSIPPI CONSTITUTION.
STATEMENT OF THE FACTS
¶ 2. On September 16, 1992, a crime stopper informant contacted Agent Joel Walters ("Walters"), of the Meridian/Lauderdale County Narcotics Task Force, that a man in a black Corvette, license plate # 1EPG875 Lauderdale County, was approached by a known distributor of crack cocaine in an area of town known as the Red Line district. The informant told Walters that a drug transaction had taken place between the known distributor and the man in the black Corvette. A check of the license plate showed that the Corvette was owned by the claimant here, Kevin Williams.
¶ 3. An officer was dispatched to the Red Line district where the sale was said to have occurred. Officers radioed to Walters, who was in his office, that they were unable to locate the Corvette. As Walters hung up the phone, he saw, from his office window, the black Corvette backed into a parking space at the Jimmie Rogers Museum and Train Station. Walters and Theall, who was also an officer in the Narcotics Task Force, proceeded in separate vehicles to where the Corvette was parked.
¶ 4. Walters and Theall pulled up on both sides of Williams' Corvette. As the officers approached, they noticed Williams place something in his mouth. Walters reached into the vehicle and grabbed Williams' right hand and arm. Theall grabbed Williams by the throat in an effort to prevent him from swallowing. After it became apparent that Williams was not going to spit out whatever he had in his mouth, the officers released their holds and instructed him to get out of the car. While handcuffing Williams, Theall found a crack pipe in his hand.
¶ 5. Theall then swabbed the inside of Williams' mouth with a latex glove to obtain any residue of the substance that he tried to swallow. Both the latex glove and the crack pipe were sent to the Mississippi Crime Lab and later tested positive for the presence of cocaine. Williams was placed under arrest for possession of cocaine, interfering with a police investigation and resisting arrest.
¶ 6. Walters searched Williams' vehicle and found a Charter Arms .44 Special handgun, a piece of copper tubing commonly used to smoke crack cocaine, and a foil container of matches commonly used by crack smokers to cause the evaporation of crack cocaine vapors. The tubing and foil container later tested positive for cocaine. Williams pled guilty to possession of cocaine and he was ordered to pay a $2,500 fine, $100 in restitution, and court costs in the amount of $164.50. The court withheld adjudicating Williams guilty for a period of three years pursuant to § 41-29-150(d).
¶ 7. Subsequently, the State filed a petition for forfeiture seeking to seize the Corvette and the gun. Williams filed his answer to the petition. King Loan Services, lien holder on the Corvette, also filed an answer asserting its lien interest in the vehicle.
¶ 8. On June 29, 1993, the State filed a motion for summary judgment requesting that the gun and the Corvette be forfeited. Williams filed a cross-motion for summary judgment alleging that forfeiture of his vehicle would result in a violation of the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment. After a summary judgment hearing, the court granted the State's motion for summary judgment finding that the Corvette was subject to forfeiture because: (1) Williams purchased a rock of cocaine while driving the vehicle in dispute; (2) he drove the vehicle to the park for the purpose of smoking the cocaine; and, (3) he admitted that his vehicle contained one rock of crack cocaine at the time of his arrest. Williams appealed the lower court's decision to this Court.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
¶ 9. This Court recently set forth the standard of review for summary judgment in Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. v. Berry, 669 So.2d 56 (Miss.1996). In Berry, this Court stated;
The standard for reviewing the granting or denying of summary judgment is the same standard as is employed by the trial court under Rule 56(c). This Court conducts de novo review of orders granting or denying summary judgment and looks at all the evidentiary matters before it — admissions in pleadings, answers to interrogatories, depositions, affidavits, etc. The evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to the party against the party whom the motion has been made. If, in this view, the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law, summary judgment should forthwith be entered in his favor. Otherwise, the motion should be denied. Issues of fact sufficient to require denial of a motion for summary judgment obviously are present where one party swears to one version of the matter in issue and another says the opposite. In addition, the burden of demonstrating that no genuine issue of fact exists is on the moving party. That is, the non-movant would be given the benefit of the doubt.
Berry, 669 So.2d at 70 (quoting Mantachie Natural Gas v. Mississippi Valley Gas Co., 594 So.2d 1170, 1172 (Miss.1992)); Caldwell v. Alfa Ins. Co., 686 So.2d 1092, 1095 (Miss.1996).
¶ 10. Moreover, a motion for summary judgment should be denied unless the trial court finds beyond any reasonable doubt that the plaintiff would be unable to prove any facts to support his/her claim. Yowell v. James Harkins Builder, Inc., 645 So.2d 1340, 1343 (Miss.1994). The trial court cannot try issues of fact on a Rule 56 motion; it may only determine whether there are issues to be tried. Id. at 1343-44.
DISCUSSION OF THE LAW
¶ 11. Williams advances two arguments in support of his position that the Corvette was subject to forfeiture. First, in essence, Williams asserts that the Corvette was not sufficiently "instrumental" in his obtaining possession of, and transporting, the crack cocaine. Second, he submits that even if the Corvette was instrumental, its forfeiture is in violation of the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment. Under Mississippi law, forfeitures are possible where a vehicle has been "... used, or intended for use, to transport, or in any manner to facilitate the transportation, sale, receipt, possession or concealment of [controlled substances]." Miss.Code Ann. § 41-29-153(a)(4) (1993). Other courts, including the United States Supreme Court, have considered this issue and a review of them analyses proves beneficial today.
¶ 12. The United States Supreme Court addressed the issue in Austin v. United States, 509 U.S. 602, 113 S.Ct. 2801, 125 L.Ed.2d 488 (1993). In Austin, the defendant, upon his guilty plea, was sentenced to prison for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Subsequently, the United States filed an in rem action in Federal District Court against his mobile home and auto body shop under the federal statutes which provide for the forfeiture of vehicles and real property used or intended to be used to facilitate the commission of certain drug-related crimes. Id. at 604-05, 113 S.Ct. 2801. The United States Supreme Court held that forfeiture under the federal statutes was monetary punishment and thus subject to the Excessive Fines Clause. The Supreme Court ruled that these sections were punitive in nature, even though they may also serve remedial purposes, because Congress provided for an "innocent-owner defense" within the statutes in addition to requiring that forfeiture be directly tied to the commission of drug offenses. Id. at 619-20, 113 S.Ct. 2801. The Supreme Court concluded that forfeiture under these federal statutes constituted payment for punishment for some offense and was, therefore, subject to the limitations of the Excessive Fines Clause. Id. at 622, 113 S.Ct. 2801. The Supreme Court stopped short of indicating exactly what was excessive and remanded the case to the Court of Appeals for such a determination. Id.
¶ 13. The United States Supreme Court has not yet prescribed a test for determining whether a forfeiture is an excessive fine. The United States Supreme Court has never held that the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment is applicable to the states. See Pervear v. Commonwealth, 72 U.S. 475, 18 L.Ed. 608 (1866); Knapp v. Schweitzer, 357 U.S. 371, 78 S.Ct. 1302, 2 L.Ed.2d 1393 (1958). The Mississippi Constitution has its own excessive fines clause, which is identical to the Excessive Fines Clause of the United States Constitution. Miss. Const, art. 3, § 28 (1890). This Court can look to the United States Supreme Court for guidance or we can develop our own application under Miss. Const, art 3, § 28. Other courts have primarily employed two tests when determining whether a forfeiture is excessive.
¶ 14. The Fourth Circuit, in United States v. Chandler, 36 F.3d 358 (4th Cir.1994), has adopted the "instrumentality test," which requires an analysis of the following three factors, when determining whether forfeiture is excessive:
(1) the nexus between the offense and the property and the extent of the property's role in the offense,
(2) the role and culpability of the owner, and
(3) the possibility of separating the offending property from the remainder.
Id. at 365. This test focuses on how closely the property is tied to the crime and whether the property was instrumental to the crime committed. If the above three requirements are met, the forfeiture is considered constitutional. Since the Supreme Court's Austin decision, a number of other courts of appeals have applied the Excessive Fines Clause in the forfeiture context. Only the Chandler court has adopted Justice Scalia's "instrumentality" approach as the sole inquiry.
¶ 15. At the other end of the spectrum, one circuit has concluded that "the appropriate inquiry with respect to the Excessive Fines Clause is, and is only, a proportionality test" that compares the value of the property forfeited with the severity of the crime committed. United States v. One Parcel Property Located at 427 & 429 Hall Street, 74 F.3d 1165, 1170 (11th Cir.1996) (rejecting Chandler court's analysis and instrumentality test). Several courts of appeals, meanwhile, have adopted tests that combine instrumentality and proportionality inquiries. See United States v. Premises Known as 6040 Wentworth Avenue South, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, 123 F.3d 685, 688-89 (8th Cir.1997) (applying "gross dis-proportionality" analysis including both proportionality and instrumentality factors); United States v. One Parcel Property, 106 F.3d 336, 338 (10th Cir.1997) (applying instrumentality test first, then proportionality test); United States v. Real Property Located in El Dorado County at 6380 Little Canyon Road, 59 F.3d 974, 983 (9th Cir.1995) (adopting "proportionality test as a cheek on the instrumentality approach"); United States v. Milbrand, 58 F.3d 841, 847-48 (2d Cir.1995) (applying multi-factor analysis including both proportionality and instrumentality factors) cert. denied, 516 U.S. 1182, 116 S.Ct. 1284, 134 L.Ed.2d 228 (1996); United States v. Premises Known as RR #1, Box 224, Dalton, 14 F.3d 864, 876 (3d Cir.1994) (remanding with instructions to apply instrumentality test first, then examine proportionality). The Sixth Circuit has addressed the question but declined to adopt an approach, see United States v. Certain Real Property Located at 11869 Westshore Drive, 70 F.3d 923, 930 (6th Cir.1995), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 117 S.Ct. 57, 136 L.Ed.2d 20, (1996) while the Fust, Fifth, and District of Columbia Circuits apparently have yet to consider the issue.
¶ 16. As a court, we can not view forfeiture cases in a vacuum. The test employed must be one that permits forfeiture of property from those persons who utilize said property in furtherance of their own criminal activity. Yet, the test must also be flexible so as not to permit forfeiture where innocent persons will suffer or where the value of the property is grossly disproportionate to the crime.
¶ 17. Given that the weight of authority among the courts of appeals strongly favors the use of both instrumentality and proportionality review in this context, we decline to employ solely the instrumentality test. One can easily imagine cases in which the freestanding instrumentality approach could lead to results that are "excessive fines" under the circumstances.
¶ 18. A proportionality analysis is especially appropriate in the civil forfeiture context because it is the sovereign that profits from such forfeitures. See 6380 Little Canyon Road, 59 F.3d at 983 (adopting "proportionality test as a check on the instrumentality approach"). Justice Scalia recognized this when he stated:
There is good reason to be concerned that fines, uniquely of all punishments, will be imposed in a measure out of accord with the penal goals of retribution and deterrence. Imprisonment, corporal punishment and even capital punishment cost a State money; [whereas] fines are a source of revenue . [I]t makes sense to scrutinize governmental action more closely when the State stands to benefit.
Harmelin v. Michigan, 501 U.S. 957, 979 n. 9, 111 S.Ct. 2680 n. 9, 115 L.Ed.2d 836 (1991) (Scalia, J., plurality opinion). All property, such as that which is at issue here, that is forfeited to Mississippi law enforcement agencies is either liquidated, in which case the arresting agency is entitled to a portion of the proceeds, or kept by the arresting law enforcement agency for its own use and benefit. Miss.Code Ann. 41-29-181 (Supp.1997). This incentive enhances the need for close scrutiny of in rem forfeitures. For this reason, the judiciary should be alert to detect constitutionally proscribed injustices imposed on individual wrongdoers. 6380 Little Canyon Road, 59 F.3d at 984-85.
¶ 19. This Court recognizes the factually intensive nature of forfeiture cases and we elect to apply a test that combines the three prongs of the "instrumentality" test with a "proportionality" review. The elements of the test that we elect to employ are as follows:
(1) The nexus between the offense and the property and the extent of the property's role in the offense;
(2) The role and culpability of the owner;
(3) The possibility of separating the offending property from the remainder; and
(4) Whether, after a review of all relevant facts, the forfeiture divests the owner of property which has a value that is grossly disproportionate to the crime or grossly disproportionate to the culpability of the owner.
¶ 20. The above test combines the elements of the instrumentality test with a weighing of proportionality on the individual circumstances of each case to determine whether the forfeiture is excessive. It avoids the harsh and unjust results that can be, and will be, produced by the implementation of a "bright-line" instrumentality test. At the same time, it allows the lower courts, and this Court on review, to consider all relevant factors under a framework that is simple, yet complete.
¶ 21. As outlined in this opinion, the vast majority of federal courts have also elected to temper the instrumentality with a proportionality review. In fact, the Fourth Circuit appears to be the only circuit that strictly follows solely an instrumentality test. See United States v. Chandler, 36 F.3d 358 (4th Cir.1994).
¶ 22. The analysis under the proportionality test that we employ here is two-part. First, under the "instrumentality" (or "nexus") test, the forfeited property must have a sufficiently close relationship to the illegal activity. Second, under the "proportionality" test, forfeiture of the property must not impose upon the owner a penalty grossly disproportionate to his offense.
¶ 23. With these enunciated principles in mind, we proceed to determine whether the forfeiture of the Corvette was proper under the test which we have set forth above.
¶ 24. Williams asserts that the State failed to prove that the Corvette was used to facilitate the possession or transportation of the crack cocaine. His main point is that the crack cocaine was found in his mouth rather than somewhere inside his vehicle. He relies heavily on People v. One 1986 White Mazda Pickup Truck, 251 Ill.App.3d 79, 190 Ill.Dec. 381, 621 N.E.2d 250, (Ill.App.Ct.1993). In People, the claimant had been stopped and searched by the police. During the course of their search of the claimant, the police found a clear plastic straw in his right coat pocket and a plastic bag containing cocaine in his underwear. There was no evidence indicating that the pickup truck had been used to purchase, conceal, or sell the drugs. The court found that "the controlled substance was already secreted on his person, and the use of the vehicle did not in any manner 'facilitate' this violation of the Act." Id., 190 Ill.Dec. 381, 621 N.E.2d at 254.
¶25. Williams' reliance on People is misplaced. Here, there is no doubt that the Corvette was used to transport Williams into a known drug area to purchase cocaine, afforded him quick egress from the area, and allowed him a measure of privacy in which to consume his ill-gotten drugs. In People, there was no evidence indicating that the claimant had used the truck to facilitate the commission of his crime. Furthermore, in the case sub judice, the agents found some drug paraphernalia concealed inside WUliams' car, and not just on his person.
¶ 26. The above facts suggest that forfeiture is proper under a strict instrumentality test. However, to be complete the test must include an analysis of whether the forfeiture is excessive. This analysis consists of applying the fourth factor of our above enunciated test to the facts of the case.
¶ 27. It is undisputed that Williams had only one rock of cocaine in his possession at the time of his arrest. Furthermore, the cocaine was not hidden or concealed in the car, it was on his person. Williams, with no prior felony convictions regarding controlled substances, paid a $2,500 fine for possession of cocaine and was placed on probation for a period of three years. See Miss.Code Ann. § 41 — 29—150(d)(1) (1993). Considering these additional facts under the fourth prong of the test set forth above, the conclusion is that the forfeiture of the Corvette is grossly disproportionate to the crime.
¶ 28. Justice Smith has written in his dissent that our test "is unnecessary and invades the prerogative of and the intent of the Mississippi Legislature," the result of which "effectively removes the teeth from the statute." Statutes are not applied in a vacuum, and must pass scrutiny under the Constitution. While the minority is correct in noting that "application of the instrumentality test alone mandates forfeiture," this approach discards Mississippi's Excessive Fines Clause. Miss. Const, art 3, § 28.
¶ 29. The test that we have set forth today gives effect to the legislative intent while, at the same time, recognizes the safeguards of both the United States Constitution and the Mississippi Constitution. The instrumentality test requires forfeiture of the property without consideration of the Excessive Fines Clause. While we agree that the legislature intended a "harsh result," such consequences must comply with constitutional requirements. The instrumentality approach violates both the Federal Constitution and our State Constitution on its face.
¶ 30. The instrumentality test proposed by Justice Smith relies exclusively on Justice Scalia's concurring opinion in Austin and on the rationale of United States v. Chandler. It should be noted that no other justice joined Justice Scalia's opinion in Austin, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals is the only Federal Circuit that applies solely the instrumentality test in forfeiture proceedings. Justice Scalia recognized a need for heightened scrutiny in forfeiture cases, which is omitted in the analysis of Justice Smith. See 6380 Little Canyon Road, 59 F.3d at 984. Even the Chandler court, recognizing the need to evaluate the totality of the circumstances, adopted additional factors that may be considered under the instrumentality review which tempered or "took the edge off' strict interpretation, which are absent in the dissent of my esteemed colleague. Chandler, 36 F.3d at 365.
CONCLUSION
¶31. The test that we have elected to employ in this action combines the elements of the instrumentality test with a proportionality review. While forfeiture would be proper solely under an instrumentality test, we hold that forfeiture of the Corvette is excessive under the proportionality review of the fourth prong of the test which we have set out above. The order of the trial court granting the State's motion for summary judgment and ordering forfeiture is reversed and rendered.
¶ 32. REVERSED AND RENDERED.
PRATHER, C.J., and SULLIVAN and PITTMAN, P.JJ., concur.
BANKS, J., concurs with separate written opinion.
MeRAE, J., dissents with separate written opinion.
SMITH, J., dissents with separate written opinion joined by JAMES L. ROBERTS, Jr. and MILLS, JJ.
. The parties stipulated to the forfeiture of the Charter Arms, Bulldog 44 Special handgun.
. King Loan's only interest in this matter is that its security interest be left intact.
. The recent decision of the United State Supreme Court in United States v. Bajakajian, - U.S.-, 118 S.Ct. 2028, 141 L.Ed.2d 314, 1998 WL 323512 (1998) treats a different kind of forfeiture than in rem. The forfeiture there was part of the criminal sentence.
. The sole instrumentality test advocated by Justice Scalia in his concurring opinion in Austin was not joined by any of the other justices.