Court Opinion

ID: 9659581
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 21:50:10.216552+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:14:09.615794
License: Public Domain

John I. Purtle, Justice, dissenting. I agree with the majority that forfeiture is a civil action and is to be decided by a preponderance of the evidence. I further agree that we are not supposed to upset the trial judge’s findings unless they are clearly erroneous. I cannot understand why the majority believes that the trial court was clearly in error. Apparently the decision is based primarily on the fact that the $3,000 was found in a plastic bag in the kitchen. Officers also found aluminum foil and no doubt knives, forks and spoons. Why not go ahead and forfeit the china, utensils and the oven, which no doubt were in close proximity to the plastic bags and aluminum foil? It seems to me that the trial court’s decision was based upon that portion of Ark. Stat. Ann. § 82-2629(a)(6) which states in part: “[N]o property shall be forfeited under this paragraph, to the extent of the interest of an owner, by reason of any act or ommission [sic] established by him to have been committed or omitted without his knowledge or consent.” There is no evidence that the transactions here considered were with the owner’s consent or knowledge. In order to forfeit this $3,000, the trial court would have had to find that the money was furnished or intended to be furnished in exchange for a controlled substance, or that it was in close proximity to contraband or paraphernalia. If the appellant intended to buy a controlled substance, there is no evidence that this particular money would have been used. Why should he have used Ms. Taylor’s money when he had more than enough money readily available? I think the trial court was correct in ordering the other money forfeited because it was in close proximity to controlled substances and paraphernalia. Jennifer Taylor testified without contradiction that this money was hers and was to be used to purchase a car. She furnished undisputed evidence that she had received more than this amount of money for the sale of her car. There is absolutely no evidence in the record that she was in any way involved in dealing in controlled substances. She was neither charged nor arrested. It seems abundantly clear to me that Ms. Taylor overcame the rebuttable presumption, if such presumption applies. It must be remembered that before the presumption can arise, there must be evidence that this particular money was furnished or intended to be furnished in exchange for a controlled substance or was in the proximity of drug paraphernalia. It is a cardinal principle that forfeitures are not favored and statutes imposing forfeitures must be strictly construed. It seems to me that the $1,700 found in close proximity to one ounce of marijuana was the type of property the legislature intended to be forfeited. The majority, in my opinion, had to resort to conjecture and speculation that the $3,000 did not belong to Ms. Taylor, in spite of the fact that appellant stated he considered what was hers to be his also, or that it was intended to be exchanged for a controlled substance. Next, I suppose all containers, on the premises, including cooking utensils, will be forfeited if a gram of cocaine or a marijuana roach is found in an ashtray or is deposited on the property without the knowledge or consent of the owner. In my opinion the trial court was absolutely correct in finding the presumption did not apply to the $3,000 or that if it did the owner overcame the presumption by proof that any dealing involving her money was without her knowledge and consent. Such transactions of a spouse take away the property or money of the other spouse when such spouse is completely innocent. There is no due process of law in such cases. I would affirm the decision of the trial court.