Jechura v. United States

9 Cl. Ct. 753, 1986 U.S. Claims LEXIS 883
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedApril 16, 1986
DocketNo. 274-85C
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 9 Cl. Ct. 753 (Jechura v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jechura v. United States, 9 Cl. Ct. 753, 1986 U.S. Claims LEXIS 883 (cc 1986).

Opinion

ORDER ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE, FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

WHITE, Senior Judge.

This case now comes before the court on the defendant’s motion to dismiss or, in the alternative, for summary judgment, and the plaintiff’s opposition to the motion. As both parties have submitted numerous documents of an evidentiary nature for the consideration of the court in connection with the pending motion, it will be necessary to consider the motion as one for summary judgment.

This court can grant a summary judgment under RUSCC 56(c) if the pleadings and the other papers before the court show that there is no genuine issue as to any [754]*754material fact, and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.

The Facts

The following statement of facts is based upon affidavits filed by the parties in support of the defendant’s motion for summary judgment or in support of the plaintiff’s opposition to the motion. The plaintiff’s opposition to the motion contains language contradicting some of the material in “The Pacts” derived from affidavits submitted by the defendant, but mere unsupported assertions are insufficient to overcome sworn material and to prevent the award of a summary judgment. See Walker v. United States, 192 Ct.Cl. 805, 810, 428 F.2d 1229, 1231 (1970); Royal Indemnity Co. v. United States, 178 Ct.Cl. 46, 51-52, 371 F.2d 462, 465, cert. denied, 389 U.S. 833, 88 S.Ct. 33, 19 L.Ed.2d 93 (1967). Consequently, the factual statements in the defendant’s affidavits are ac cepted as correct, despite the contradictory assertions in the plaintiff’s opposition to the pending motion for summary judgment. See Pacific Far East Line, Inc. v. United States, 206 Ct.Cl. 378, 386, 513 F.2d 1355, 1359 (1975); Curtis v. United States, 144 Ct.Cl. 194, 199, 168 F.Supp. 213, 216 (1958), cert. denied, 361 U.S. 843, 80 S.Ct. 94, 4 L.Ed.2d 81 (1959), reh’g denied, 361 U.S. 941, 80 S.Ct. 375, 4 L.Ed.2d 361 (1960).

On February 17, 1983, the plaintiff was arrested by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other law enforcement officers in Medford, Oregon, on a fugitive warrant. At the time, the plaintiff was known to the arresting officers as Kathryn Jechura, a/k/a Kathy Meincke. The officers were unaware that the plaintiff had used, or was using, Shirley Morrison as an alias.

At the time of her arrest, the plaintiff was in possession of a 1981 AMC Eagle station wagon, which was registered in the name of Shirley Morrison, 316 California Avenue, #205, Reno, Nevada 98509. An inventory of the contents of the station wagon was made by the law enforcement officers, and the reported inventory included approximately 28.06 grams gross weight of suspected marihuana, contained in a small plastic bag. Upon the discovery of this substance, the vehicle was seized by personnel of the Drug Enforcement Administration for violation of 21 U.S.C. § 881 (1982). The plaintiff did not claim any ownership interest in the vehicle at the time of the seizure, and the government officials involved in the seizure of the vehicle were unaware at the time of any basis for such a claim.

On February 23, 1983, the plaintiff and her husband, Paul Jechura, were jointly indicted in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on a conspiracy charge to defraud the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 (1982). In addition, Paul Jechura was charged with operating a continuing criminal enterprise, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 848 (1982), conspiracy to distribute marihuana, conspiracy to import marihuana with intent to distribute the drug, and six counts of income tax evasion. As a result of plea bargaining between Paul Jechura and the law enforcement officials in the Eastern District of Michigan, Paul Jechura pled guilty to the offenses of operating a continuing criminal enterprise and income tax evasion. The plaintiff was dismissed from the case in which she was jointly indicted with Paul Jechura.

On March 17, 1983, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office in Oregon mailed to Shirley Morrison, 316 California Avenue, # 205, Reno, Nevada 98509, a notice concerning the 1981 AMC Eagle station wagon that had been seized on February 17, 1983, at Medford, Oregon. The notice stated in part as follows:

The value of the car has been established at $8,380.00, and steps are being taken to forfeit this vehicle pursuant to 19 USC 1607-1618 * * *.
If you intend to file a petition for the remission or mitigation of this forfeiture, it must be filed in triplicate with this office within 30 days from the receipt of this letter and must conform to the re[755]*755quirements outlined in the above authorities.
If you intend to place the matter in the United States District Court to contest the probable cause for this seizure, a claim and cost bond of $250.00 must be filed with this office on or before April 13,1983. Indigent persons who desire to place the matter before the court, but who are unable to post the $250.00 bond, may file an Affidavit of Indigency. Further information on this is available from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

This notice was returned to the Drug Enforcement Administration with a notation on the envelope, “not at this address.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration on March 24 and 31 and April 7, 1983, published in the Eugene, Oregon, “Register-Guard” a notice stating that on February 17, 1983, a 1981 AMC Eagle automobile was seized at Medford, Oregon, for violation of 28 U.S.C. § 881; that any person desiring to place the matter in the U.S. District Court in order to contest the probable cause for such seizure should file a claim and cost bond of $250.00, with approved sureties, on or before April 13, 1983; and that otherwise the property would be administratively forfeited pursuant to 19 U.S.C. § 1608. The notice also stated that interested parties might file petitions for remission or mitigation of forfeiture with the Special Agent in Charge pursuant to 19 U.S.C. § 1618, and certain cited regulations, without filing any claim and cost bond.

Neither the plaintiff nor anyone else filed a claim and bond by April 13, 1983, and no petition seeking remission or mitigation of forfeiture was received by the Drug Enforcement Administration from the plaintiff or anyone else. Consequently, the AMC Eagle station wagon was declared forfeited on April 14, 1983.

The Litigation

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Rebish v. United States
134 Fed. Cl. 308 (Federal Claims, 2017)
Lassiter v. United States
60 Fed. Cl. 265 (Federal Claims, 2004)
Llamera v. United States
15 Cl. Ct. 593 (Court of Claims, 1988)
Four Winds Forwarding, Inc. v. United States
34 Cont. Cas. Fed. 75,382 (Court of Claims, 1987)
Wall Industries, Inc. v. United States
10 Cl. Ct. 82 (Court of Claims, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
9 Cl. Ct. 753, 1986 U.S. Claims LEXIS 883, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jechura-v-united-states-cc-1986.