Osborne v. Commonwealth

839 S.W.2d 281, 1992 Ky. LEXIS 152, 1992 WL 301691
CourtKentucky Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 22, 1992
Docket91-SC-834-DG
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 839 S.W.2d 281 (Osborne v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Kentucky Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Osborne v. Commonwealth, 839 S.W.2d 281, 1992 Ky. LEXIS 152, 1992 WL 301691 (Ky. 1992).

Opinions

LAMBERT, Justice.

This Court granted appellant’s motion for discretionary review of the Court of Appeals opinion affirming the trial court’s order forfeiting currency and a motor vehicle pursuant to KRS 218A.410. Appellant does not challenge the forfeiture on grounds that allocation of burden of proof or any aspect of the statute is constitutionally infirm. Therefore, our inquiry will be limited to a proper construction of the statute and its application to the facts presented in the trial court.

In the course of a drug raid upon. a trailer home inhabited by Donald Kimberly and Arlene Osborne, parties formerly married and cohabiting, the police seized about two pounds of marijuana packaged in quarter-pound bags, a sum in excess of $6,000 in cash, one marijuana plant, and a sophisticated set of scales of the type used in the drug trade. Within a short time prior to the raid and seizure, Kimberly had sold a quarter-pound of marijuana to Douglas Combs for the sum of $350 cash. The scales and marijuana plant were found in a 1978 Chevrolet Blazer motor vehicle and the currency and packaged marijuana were found inside the trailer. Both Kimberly and appellant Osborne were charged with trafficking in marijuana, but charges against appellant were dismissed. Kimberly was convicted.

Despite the dismissal against appellant and registration of the Blazer automobile in her name and seizure of a substantial portion of the currency from her purse, [283]*283forfeiture pursuant to KRS 218A.410 was sought. Appellant was recognized as the party-in-interest for the purpose of litigating the forfeiture.

The trial court heard evidence that the motor vehicle was registered to Arlene Osborne and that Kimberly had been seen driving it within one month of the time of the raid. As to the currency, there was conflicting evidence as to its location within the trailer, but there is no doubt that a substantial portion was found in appellant’s purse and that other currency was found throughout the trailer. At the forfeiture hearing, appellant denied any knowledge that the motor vehicle had ever been used in the drug trade and identified the source of most of the currency as a loan from Gene Aytes, Donald Kimberly’s uncle, and the source of the remainder of the currency as loans from Kimberly’s father and her mother. This testimony was corroborated by the parties who purported to have furnished the money.

At the outset, it should be observed that nothing in the forfeiture statute requires criminal conviction of the person whose property is sought to be forfeited. It is sufficient under KRS 218A.410(h) and (j) to show a nexus between the property sought to be forfeited and its use to facilitate violation of the Controlled Substances Act, KRS 218A. Smith v. Commonwealth, Ky., 707 S.W.2d 342 (1986). Thus, appellant can take little comfort here in the fact of the dismissal of charges against her. The inquiry is whether the evidence and law, including statutory presumptions, permit a finding that the subject property was used to facilitate violation of the Act. As this case concerns two types of personal property, the forfeiture of which is governed by separate provisions in the statute, it is appropriate to address each separately.

I. FORFEITURE OF THE MOTOR VEHICLE

KRS 218A.410(h) provides for forfeiture of

“all conveyances, including aircraft, vehicles, or vessels, which are used, or intended for use, to transport or in any manner to facilitate the transportation, for the purpose of sale or receipt of property described in (e) or (f) of this subsection, but: ...
(2) No conveyance is subject to forfeiture under this section by reason of any act or omission established by the owner thereof to have been committed or omitted without his knowledge or consent.”

As it applies to the facts presented here, the foregoing statute subjects the motor vehicle to forfeiture on proof that it was used to facilitate the transportation for the purpose of sale or receipt of controlled substances unless the owner, appellant herein, is able to establish that such use, if any, was without her knowledge or consent. Evidence was presented and the trial court found that a marijuana plant was found in the vehicle along with a set of sophisticated scales of the type often used to weigh drugs. The vehicle itself, although not in running order, was located in close proximity to appellant’s dwelling and testimony was given that Kimberly had been seen driving the vehicle within one month of the time of the seizure. From these facts, the trial court concluded that the motor vehicle should be forfeited. The Court of Appeals affirmed and on this issue, we likewise affirm.

II. FORFEITURE OF THE CURRENCY

A more difficult question is encountered with respect to forfeiture of the currency. The controlling statute is KRS 418A.410(j) which permits forfeiture of

“Everything of value furnished ... in exchange for a controlled substance in violation of this chapter, all proceeds ... traceable to the exchange, and all moneys ... used, or intended to be used to facilitate any violation of this chapter.”

Subsection (j) further provides that

“It shall be a rebuttable presumption that all moneys, coin, and currency found in close proximity to controlled substances, to drug manufacturing or distributing paraphernalia, or to records of the importation, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances, are presumed to be forfeitable under this para[284]*284graph. The burden of proof shall be upon claimants of personal property to rebut this presumption by clear and convincing evidence.”

On examination of the foregoing statute, it is apparent that any property subject to forfeiture under (j) must be traceable to the exchange or intended violation. This requirement exists without regard to the presumption which appears later in the statute. Without such a requirement, the statute would mandate forfeiture of property which was without any relationship to the criminal act and would be of dubious constitutional validity under Sections 2, 11, 13, 26 and possibly other sections of the Constitution of Kentucky. With such a requirement, however, the General Assembly is entitled to great latitude to create presumptions.

Recognizing the difficulty of proof with respect to showing a connection between currency and drug transactions, the General Assembly created a presumption whereby currency found in close proximity to controlled substances was presumed to be forfeitable subject to the right of the owner to rebut the presumption.

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

Related

David Martin v. Commonwealth of Kentucky
Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2026
William James Smith, II v. Commonwealth of Kentucky
Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2024
Barry Morgan 139976 v. Commonwealth of Kentucky
Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2022
Commonwealth of Kentucky v. Alisha Doebler
Kentucky Supreme Court, 2021
Demarcus Coomer v. Commonwealth of Kentucky
Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2021
Gritton v. Commonwealth
477 S.W.3d 603 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2015)
Robbins v. Commonwealth
336 S.W.3d 60 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 2011)
Smith v. Commonwealth
339 S.W.3d 485 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2010)
Hill v. Commonwealth
308 S.W.3d 227 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2010)
Commonwealth v. Maynard
294 S.W.3d 43 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2009)
Johnson v. Commonwealth
277 S.W.3d 635 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2009)
Gray v. Commonwealth
233 S.W.3d 715 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 2007)
Brewer v. Commonwealth
206 S.W.3d 343 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 2006)
Harbin v. Commonwealth
121 S.W.3d 191 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 2003)
Commonwealth v. Montaque
23 S.W.3d 629 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 2000)
Commonwealth v. Fint
940 S.W.2d 896 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 1997)
In re United States Currency in the Amount of $315,900.00
902 P.2d 351 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1995)
Osborne v. Commonwealth
839 S.W.2d 281 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
839 S.W.2d 281, 1992 Ky. LEXIS 152, 1992 WL 301691, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/osborne-v-commonwealth-ky-1992.