State v. Selness

54 P.3d 1025, 334 Or. 515, 2002 Ore. LEXIS 611
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 19, 2002
DocketCC C95-02-31042; CA A89706; CC C95-02-31043; CA A89707; SC S46149
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 54 P.3d 1025 (State v. Selness) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Selness, 54 P.3d 1025, 334 Or. 515, 2002 Ore. LEXIS 611 (Or. 2002).

Opinion

*518 GILLETTE, J.

In this criminal case, we are asked to determine whether a trial court correctly dismissed indictments charging defendants with various counts of possession, manufacture, and delivery of a controlled substance. The trial court dismissed the indictments on the ground that prosecution of the charges in the indictments would violate principles against former jeopardy, because the state already had subjected defendants to jeopardy by virtue of the judicial forfeiture of their home in connection with the same offenses. On the state’s appeal, the Court of Appeals reversed, holding that defendants had waived any right to base a former jeopardy claim on the forfeiture, because they had chosen not to take part in the forfeiture proceeding. State v. Selness/ Miller, 154 Or App 579, 586-88, 962 P2d 739 (1998). We allowed defendants’ petition for review and now conclude that the forfeiture proceeding to which defendants’ property was subjected cannot form the basis for a successful former jeopardy defense under Article I, section 12, of the Oregon Constitution, or for a successful double jeopardy defense under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. 1

I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The following facts appear to be undisputed. On November 9,1994, the Portland police sought and obtained a warrant to search defendants’ home. In the course of the ensuing search, the police found marijuana plants, hydro pumps, lights, and other evidence of a marijuana growing operation. The police immediately seized the plants and equipment. Shortly thereafter, the City of Portland (City) filed a complaint in rem under Oregon Laws 1989, chapter 791, 2 seeking judicial forfeiture of the plants, equipment, and, most importantly, defendants’ home. 3 The complaint *519 asserted that the home and other items were subject to forfeiture either because they were the proceeds of “prohibited conduct” under the statute — that is, the manufacture, possession, and delivery of controlled substances — or because defendants had used them to facilitate such “prohibited conduct.” 4

Defendants owned the home jointly and had an equity interest in it of between $60,000 and $63,000. As persons with an interest in the property, they were entitled to file a claim in the proceeding as provided in Oregon Laws 1989, chapter 791, section 7(2)(a), 5 to plead affirmative defenses to the forfeiture under Oregon Laws 1989, chapter *520 791, section 8, 6 and to seek mitigation under Oregon Laws 1993, chapter 699, section 13. 7 The state gave notice to defendants of the forfeiture complaint, and, on a number of occasions, various Multnomah County deputy district attorneys told defendants that they should file a claim and post a bond if they wished to contest the forfeiture. The City also offered *521 to enter into a stipulated judgment under which defendants would agree to pay the City $15,000 and to waive any claim or defense arising out of the seizure of the home in consideration for the City releasing any right or claim to the home. Defendants ultimately declined the stipulated judgment offer because they did not want to waive any rights or claims, including the right to raise a former jeopardy defense.

Defendants did not file a claim or otherwise appear in the forfeiture proceeding. In February 1995, when Multnomah County prosecutors informed defendants that they would be seeking a default, defendants responded that they would not contest the forfeiture. Defendants moved out of the home in late February, and a default judgment was entered on March 17,1995.

In the meantime, the state had charged defendants with multiple counts of possessing, manufacturing, and delivering a controlled substance, ORS 475.992, based on the November 9, 1994, search. The court arraigned defendants on those charges on March 14, 1995 — three days before the court entered default judgment in the forfeiture proceeding. At their arraignment, the court assigned defendants court-appointed counsel to defend them in the criminal proceedings. 8

After the court forfeited their home, defendants moved to dismiss the criminal charges on the ground that prosecution of those charges would violate the prohibitions against former and double jeopardy in the state and federal constitutions. After a hearing on the matter, the trial court granted the motion and dismissed the charges. In its written dismissal order, the trial court determined that the forfeiture had occurred in a different judicial proceeding and that it had resulted from the same acts that were the subject of the criminal charges. From those facts, the trial court ruled that the forfeiture was “punishment” and that further criminal prosecution or punishment respecting the same acts would *522 amount to former jeopardy. The court also held that defendants had not waived their right to raise a former jeopardy defense by failing to appear in the forfeiture action.

As noted, the state appealed the trial court order, and the Court of Appeals reversed. With respect to defendants’ state constitutional claim, the Court of Appeals held that defendants had waived any right to base a former jeopardy claim on the forfeiture proceeding by failing to file an answer or otherwise to appear in that proceeding:

“Our decision is based on our interpretation of Oregon Laws 1989, chapter 791. Oregon’s civil forfeiture statute provides for mitigation if the court finds the forfeiture excessive. The provision ensures that a civil forfeiture is commensurate with the civil intent of the statute and does not rise to the level of criminal punishment. By failing to avail themselves of the opportunity to present evidence that the civil forfeiture of their home was so severe as to constitute criminal punishment, defendants have forfeited the chance to do so in this criminal proceeding. They cannot now complain that they have been criminally punished for double jeopardy purposes when they made no effort to mitigate the alleged punishment when they had the opportunity to do so.”

Selness/Miller, 154 Or App at 586-87 (footnotes deleted). Having concluded that defendants had waived their right to assert a former jeopardy claim under Article I, section 12, the Court of Appeals never reached the substantive question posed by the state’s appeal, viz., whether forfeiture of property under Oregon Laws 1989, chapter 791, is or can be “jeopardy” for purposes of a former jeopardy claim under the Oregon Constitution. The court employed a similar rationale with respect to defendants’ federal double jeopardy claim. Id. at 588.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
54 P.3d 1025, 334 Or. 515, 2002 Ore. LEXIS 611, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-selness-or-2002.