Opinion ID: 392259
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Equities Favor Angel.

Text: 17 The Government devotes so much of its effort on appeal to contentions of public policy that it is well to reflect on the parties' relative equities. These tilt decisively in Angel's favor, even though he thereby reaps windfall profits out of his transaction with the Government. 18 The Government tries to cast Angel in the role of an underworld figure, but the record contains no evidence that he is less than law-abiding. Further, on the facts of this case it is difficult to perceive what illegitimate motive Angel may have had. Even had he known that the paintings were to be smuggled, he could not derive any benefit thereby because there was no customs fee to cheat the art could be taken into the United States duty-free, as Angel informed Hartman. See 19 U.S.C. § 1202, schedule 7, part 11. 19 For aught that appears in the record, Angel is an angel. The same cannot be said of the Government. Its agents impersonated both a buyer and his agent, setting up the purchase from Angel solely for the purpose of trapping suspected smugglers. That purpose has now been accomplished four convictions have been won, the smuggled artworks and an airplane have been forfeited. Having achieved its objective by the use of Angel's artwork, the Government now wants to ignore its agreement with Angel. 20 The Government claims that it should not have to pay Angel the amount bargained for his art. However, it does not advance any legal theory such as mistake of fact or failure of consideration. Rather, it asserts that it should not be held to its contract because it foolishly agreed to pay one hundred times more than it would receive. That fact, however, is not persuasive. The Government maintains that 21 (s)ince the United States is legally entitled to keep the smuggled art as forfeited, plaintiff (sic) claims to the value of it should be as invalid as his claim to return the goods since he has failed to petition for them. 22 All the Government need do under this reasoning is to send its agents to the home of a wealthy foreign citizen, offer the owner millions of dollars for various objets d'art, take delivery, have the goods smuggled across the border, keep the goods pursuant to the statutory forfeiture power, and then tell the hapless former owner that he has no rights in his former property, either to its value or to the benefit of his bargain with the Government. 23 Equity strongly favors Angel. 24