Opinion ID: 6982208
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Winterhaven Trust’s Waiver of Appeal

Text: The government argues that Win-terhaven Trust should be dismissed from this appeal as it failed to object to the Magistrate’s Report and Recommendation finding probable cause for the forfeiture. The Sixth Circuit established in United States v. Walters that failure to file objections within ten days to a Magistrate’s Report and Recommendation constitutes waiver of the right to appeal. United States v. Walters, 638 F.2d 947, 949-50 (6th Cir.1981)(footnote omitted); see also Thomas v. Arn, 474 U.S. 140, 153-55, 106 S.Ct. 466, 474-75, 88 L.Ed.2d 435 (1985) (affirming 6th Cir. rule). The court of appeals may, however, excuse default in the interests of justice. Accordingly, we have declined to apply the waiver rule in circumstances essentially analogous to the circumstances in which the “interests of justice” exception to the “plain error” rule of Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 52(b) would apply. See Thomas, 474 U.S. at 155 & n. 15, 106 S.Ct. at 475 & n. 15. In other words, we decline to apply the waiver rule where the district court’s error is so egregious that failure to permit appellate review would work a miscarriage of justice. In the instant case, the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation stated, in no uncertain terms: If any party seeks review by the District Judge of this Report and Recommendation, that party may, within ten (10) days, file and serve on all parties objections to the Report and Recommendation ... The parties are specifically advised that failure to object to the Report and Recommendation will result in a waiver of the right to de novo review by the District Judge and of the right to appeal the decision of the District Court adopting the Report and Recommendation. The Magistrate’s Report was filed on October 3, 1995. Claimant O’Brien did not file objections to the Magistrate’s Report until October 23, 1995, after the filing deadline. The district court issued an order adopting the Magistrate’s Report and Recommendation on October 25, 1995, apparently unaware of O’Brien’s untimely filing. The court subsequently vacated its order to consider O’Brien’s objections and allow the United States time in which to file a response to his objections. After receiving the government’s reply, O’Brien filed a reply brief on August 8, 1996. Between August and October 1996, the case was transferred from the docket of Judge Dlott to Judge Beckwith. Having fully eonsid-ered O’Brien’s objections, Judge Beckwith issued an order on March 21, 1997 adopting the Magistrate’s Report and Recommendation. In light of the district court’s decision to allow O’Brien’s late filing of objections, Winterhaven Trust would have had ample opportunity to advance its own objections. Moreover, considering that almost a year and a half elapsed before the court issued a final order, Winterhaven Trust slept on its rights. We therefore conclude that the Trust waived its opportunity to appeal and is hereby dismissed. We note in passing that the district court’s grant of summary judgment for the defendant was directed in part by its finding that claimant O’Brien “has never established that he has either any ownership or possessory interest in the property.” But as the government concedes that O’Brien was the “actual owner” and “had a significant interest in the defendant property,” we find he has standing to bring this appeal.