For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 24
sought to be forfeited is grossly disproportional to
the gravity of the underlying offense."13 In Young,
the Court set forth an extensive (but non-exhaustive) list of factors to be weighed on each side of
this equation. Notably, the court's valuation of the
property must incorporate not only its fair market
value, but important subjective factors including
whether the property is a family residence, whether it would deprive the owner of his or her livelihood, and what harm that forfeiture would bring
to the owner or innocent third parties.14 Similarly,
the gravity of the offense can no longer be determined via mechanistic reference to maximum
statutory penalties, but must involve the nature
of the underlying offense, its relation to other
illegal activity, the regularity of the conduct, the
actual harm resulting, and most importantly, the
culpability of the property owner.15 Importantly,
this last factor ensures enhanced constitutional
recognition of the rights of property owners not
charged with an underlying offense.16
Beyond defining the excessive fines inquiry,
Young also held the trial court's analysis of the
statutory "innocent owner" defense to be insuf-
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For The Defense | Vol. 2, Issue 3
ficient, noting that particular caution is due because one's home or residence is an "especially significant type of property."17 Young confirmed that
the statute requires the property owner to prove
either a lack of knowledge or a lack of consent to
the unlawful use of the property in order to be
deemed an "innocent owner," and thus protected
from forfeiture.18 Furthermore, a trial court inferring that a property owner actually knew or consented to the drug activity must identify the circumstances that make such inference reasonable,
and it must take into account the relationship between the owner and the person charged with the
underlying crimes when considering what conduct
could be reasonably expected to demonstrate lack
of consent. Although the Court refrained from establishing a per se rule that a parent could never
be expected to evict a child, it encouraged courts
to consider the full circumstances of the property owner's life, explaining that "the prospect of
evicting Appellee's son needed to be contemplated in the context of an elderly widow with serious
health challenges who relied upon her son for living assistance."19 Trial courts applying Young can
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017
Table of Contents
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 1
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 2
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - Table of Contents
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 4
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 5
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 6
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 7
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 8
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 9
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 10
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 11
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 12
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 13
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 14
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 15
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 16
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 17
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 18
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 19
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 20
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 21
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 22
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 23
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 24
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 25
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 26
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