Opinion ID: 591489
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Balance of Von Neumann Factors

Text: 28 The Von Neumann factors weigh heavily in favor of a finding that no unreasonable delay transpired between seizure and post-seizure hearings and that the district court erred when it held otherwise. Nnadi was aware of the forfeiture by customs agents, as was her lawyer, and chose to initiate this action rather than file a claim through the correct channel. In addition, even if she had been unaware of the administrative proceeding when she filed this action on February 10, 1992, she certainly became aware of such when the government's responded to her complaint on February 18. 6 At that time, a mere forty days after forfeiture, she could have exercised her rights to compel a speedy civil forfeiture action. 29 Nnadi ignored the two appropriate courses of actions and instead initiated this case for return of the Pulsar. She has been denied a timely post-seizure trial solely because she attempted to circumvent the prescribed procedure for dealing with seized property. Currently, there is an appropriate forfeiture proceeding pending before the district court in which she can vindicate her rights if she proves that she has been unjustly denied her property. Because Nnadi failed to avail herself of her rights and because of the relatively short time period involved, we hold that the district court erred when it concluded that Nnadi had been denied her due process rights by an unreasonable delay between seizure and hearing.