United States v. Real Property Located at 12310 Short Circle

162 F.R.D. 136, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8366, 1995 WL 366110
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedJune 1, 1995
DocketNo. CIV S-90-0450 WBS GGH
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 162 F.R.D. 136 (United States v. Real Property Located at 12310 Short Circle) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Real Property Located at 12310 Short Circle, 162 F.R.D. 136, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8366, 1995 WL 366110 (E.D. Cal. 1995).

Opinion

ORDER

SHUBB, District Judge.

On April 13, 1995, the magistrate judge filed findings and recommendations herein which were served on the parties and which recommended that claimant’s motion for return of property be denied.

This court reviews de novo those portions of the proposed findings of fact to which objection has been made. 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1); McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Commodore Business Machines, 656 F.2d 1309, 1313 (9th Cir.1981), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 920, 102 S.Ct. 1277, 71 L.Ed.2d 461 (1982). As to any portion of the proposed findings of fact to which no objection has been made, the court assumes its correctness and decides the motions on the applicable law. See Orand v. United States, 602 F.2d 207, 208 (9th Cir.1979). The magistrate judge’s conclusions of law are reviewed de novo. See Britt v. Simi Valley Unified School Dist., 708 F.2d 452, 454 (9th Cir.1983).

No objections were filed within the ten-day period provided by Local Rule 304(b). The court has reviewed the applicable legal standards and, good cause appearing, concludes that it is appropriate to adopt the Proposed Findings and Recommendations in full. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that:

1. The Proposed Findings and Recommendations filed April 13, 1995, are ADOPTED;

[137]*1372. Claimant’s motion for return of property is denied.

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

April 13, 1995

HOLLOWS, United States Magistrate Judge.

Previously pending on this court’s law and motion calendar for April 6, 1995, was a “Motion for Return of Property,” filed by claimant Norman Rhoades, in pro se. While designated a motion pursuant to Fed. R.Crim.P. 41(e), the matter is properly considered a motion pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 60(b)(5) and/or (b)(6) (relief from judgment or order),1 for relief of the Final Judgment of Forfeiture rendered in this ease March 27, 1991. This matter was referred to the undersigned for Findings and Recommendations.2 Although Mr. Rhoades did not appear at the hearing, the court in its discretion heard the matter, and hereby renders its decision on the merits.

BACKGROUND

By order filed March 27, 1991, a Final Judgment of Forfeiture was rendered in this case, forfeiting to the United States all rights, title, and interest of all persons and entities in defendant real property (specifically, Norman Rhoades, Loree Rhoades, and Bail House Bail Bonds), except as to the interest of Kingsley Chan, whose deed of trust (in the amount of $2264.18) was to remain in full force and effect as a lien against the property until the promissory noted secured by the deed was paid in full.

Prior to the Final Judgment of Forfeiture, the United States and claimant Loree Rhoades entered into a settlement of her claim of the property. Pursuant to the terms of the Final Judgment, the sale of defendant property was stayed for a period of 90 days to permit Loree Rhoades time to pay plaintiff $115,000.00 in consideration for obtaining all rights, title and interest in defendant property as her sole and separate property. Loree Rhoades tendered this money within the requisite time, and the defendant property was grant deeded to her by the United States on May 8, 1991. Opposition, at 4, n. 1.

The March, 1991, Final Judgment of Forfeiture concluded the forfeiture in rem action initially filed April 10, 1990, pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 881(a)(7), upon the plaintiffs unre-butted showing that there was probable cause to believe defendant property had been used to manufacture marihuana. An indictment had issued on December 21, 1989, charging Norman and Loree Rhoades, husband and wife, each with one count of manufacturing marihuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 21 U.S.C. § 846. On January 23,1991, Norman Rhoades was convicted of violating 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), and there[138]*138after sentenced to sixty (60) months in prison. All charges against Loree Rhoades were dismissed. Plaintiffs motion for summary judgment on the underlying complaint in the civil forfeiture action, filed February 6, 1991, was granted March 25, 1991.

On December 9, 1994, claimant Norman Rhoades filed the instant “Motion for Return of Property.”

DISCUSSION

Claimant contends that the civil forfeiture of his property, following his criminal conviction for the same conduct underlying the civil forfeiture action, constituted a violation of his rights against Double Jeopardy set forth in the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. He relies on the Ninth Circuit’s recent decision in United States v. $105,089.23, 33 F.3d 1210 (9th Cir.1994), amended 56 F.3d 41 (1995) which held that the government’s pursuit of a civil forfeiture action (pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 881(a)(6) (proceeds of illegal narcotics transactions)) involving the same conduct which underlied a separate criminal proceeding (“identical violations of [ ] identical laws,” 33 F.3d at 1216) constituted “punishment” in violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause. See also, Quinones-Ruiz v. United States, 864 F.Supp. 983, 986-91 (S.D.Cal.1994) on reconsideration 873 F.Supp. 359 (S.D.Cal.1995) (forfeiture of currency pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 5317(c)). Claimant also relies, as did the Ninth Circuit, on the Supreme Court’s decisions in United States v. Halper, 490 U.S. 435, 448, 109 S.Ct. 1892, 1902, 104 L.Ed.2d 487 (1989) (wherein the Court held, in a civil action pursuant to the False Claims Act, that “a civil sanction that cannot fairly be said solely to serve a remedial purpose, but rather can only be explained as also serving either retributive or deterrent purposes, is punishment, as we have come to understand the term”), and Austin v. United States, — U.S. —, 113 S.Ct. 2801, 125 L.Ed.2d 488 (1993) (applying the Halper test to conclude that a civil forfeiture action pursuant to 21 U.S.C.

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162 F.R.D. 136, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8366, 1995 WL 366110, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-real-property-located-at-12310-short-circle-caed-1995.