Opinion ID: 726055
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Civil Proceedings Against the Amiels

Text: 6 In July 1991, following an undercover investigation of the Amiels' sales practices, the government instituted civil forfeiture proceedings against several million dollars worth of the Amiels' real and personal property, alleging that the property was subject to forfeiture under 18 U.S.C. § 981. The Amiels failed to serve any responsive pleadings to the Verified Complaint or any response to the first set of interrogatories, prompting the government to move for a default judgment. After the Amiels failed to file any declarations, affidavits, memoranda of law or other written responses to the government's motion, the district court entered a default judgment, on October 30, 1991. The court rejected the Amiels' motion for an order vacating this decree on the ground of excusable neglect, and the Amiels failed to appeal this decision in a timely fashion.