Opinion ID: 160990
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Whether the court properly applied equitable tolling.

Text: 10 Mr. Clymore argues that the district court erred in applying equitable tolling under the facts of this case. Because the application of equitable doctrines rests in the sound discretion of the district court, its decision will not be disturbed on appeal absent a showing of abuse of discretion. Arnold v. Air Midwest, Inc., 100 F.3d 857, 861 (10th Cir. 1996). 11 The court found that the government's five-year statute of limitations for forfeitures had run by the time Mr. Clymore filed his Rule 41(e) motion for return of property. Mr. Clymore first argues that the district court abused its discretion in applying equitable tolling because it relied on a finding that is clearly erroneous. It is undisputed that the statute of limitations did not run until November 1996. It is also undisputed that Mr. Clymore brought his action for return of the items in June 1996, alerting the government to the fact that he had not received timely notice of the administrative forfeitures. Although Mr. Clymore filed his motion for return of property five months before the five-year statute of limitations expired, the magistrate judge stated that Mr. Clymore's motion was brought after its expiration. See R. Doc. 55, at 1. This finding formed the basis of the court's recommendation to apply equitable tolling, as shown by its reliance on United States v. $57,960.00 in United States Currency, 58 F. Supp. 2d 660 (D.S.C. 1999). Thus, the district court abused its discretion in relying on a mistake of fact on which to base equitable tolling. 12 Mr. Clymore next argues that, as a matter of law, the government should not be allowed to rely on equitable tolling to salvage its failure to give him notice of the forfeitures. He argues that the government knew that its notices of forfeiture were returned undelivered, that he was in federal custody, and that he had written letters inquiring about the property further alerting the government to the fact that he was unaware of the forfeitures long before the statute of limitations had run. He points out that, instead of immediately filing judicial forfeiture proceedings within the statute of limitations after it received his Rule 41(e) motion, the government chose to argue that Mr. Clymore had no standing to challenge the administrative forfeitures and that his claim was barred by laches. He argues that these facts will not form a basis for equitable tolling. 13 Federal courts have typically extended equitable relief only sparingly. We have [however] allowed equitable tolling in situations where the claimant has actively pursued his judicial remedies by filing a defective pleading during the statutory period, or where the complainant has been induced or tricked by his adversary's misconduct into allowing the filing deadline to pass. 14 Irwin v. Dep't of Veterans Affairs, 498 U.S. 89, 96 (1990). In civil actions, this court has applied equitable tolling when the defendant's conduct rises to the level of active deception; where a plaintiff has been lulled into inaction by a defendant, and [l]ikewise, if a plaintiff is actively misled or has in some extraordinary way been prevented from asserting his or her rights. Biester v. Midwest Health Servs., Inc., 77 F.3d 1264, 1267 (10th Cir. 1996) (action under Title VII) (quotations omitted); see also Johnson v. United States Postal Serv., 861 F.2d 1475, 1481 (10th Cir. 1988) (holding that equitable tolling may be appropriate where a petitioner has been deceived by an incorrect representation by an adversary, court, or agency). 15 Another situation in which equitable tolling may apply is when extraordinary circumstances make it impossible for the plaintiff to file his or her claims within the statutory period. See Hanger v. Abbott, 73 U.S. (6 Wall.) 532, 542 (1867) (finding extraordinary circumstances tolling statute of limitations where courts in southern states were closed during Civil War). Here, the government asserts that it did not immediately file judicial forfeiture proceedings between June and November 1996 because it needed time to retrieve numerous records, some of which had been destroyed and some of which were incomplete and because Mr. Clymore's allegations involved seizures made by different agencies in different jurisdictions . . . [and] property had been forfeited in both federal and state administrative and judicial proceedings. Appellee's Br. at 13. This is the same laches argument that the district court rejected below. See R. Doc. 55, at 5. The district court made no findings regarding whether the government knew that Mr. Clymore had not been served with notice of the administrative forfeiture or whether it was reasonable for the government to fail to timely commence judicial forfeiture proceedings after it became aware that Mr. Clymore challenged the administrative forfeitures. Although it does not appear that equitable tolling would apply on the facts presented to this court, on remand, the district court should, based on undisputed facts, conduct an equitable estoppel analysis consistent with our common law. 16