For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 26
When asserting affirmative defenses in New
Matter, a property owner may allege material
facts that are not merely denials of the Commonwealth's allegations in its forfeiture petition.24
Counsel should endorse the New Matter with a
Notice to Plead, placing the Commonwealth on
notice that it must respond within twenty days.25
The Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure apply to
civil forfeiture actions26 and, therefore, if the Commonwealth fails to respond to well-pleaded facts
in New Matter a court may, upon motion, rule that
such averments are admitted.27
An affirmative defense often overlooked is a
due process claim that the statutory civil forfeiture
framework itself, which permits the permanent
taking of private property by the government for
its own use based upon minimal evidentiary burdens and with no guarantee of counsel for those
too poor to afford a lawyer, violates the U.S. Constitution. This potential defense gained prominence earlier this year in a statement released by
Justice Clarence Thomas in connection with the
U.S. Supreme Court's denial of certiorari in a civil
forfeiture case.28 In that case, the property own-
26
For The Defense | Vol. 2, Issue 3
er argued that the procedures used to adjudicate
the seizure of her property violated due process
guarantees because the government needed only
to prove its claims by a preponderance of the evidence rather than by a more demanding clear and
convincing standard.
While the Supreme Court did not grant certiorari, Justice Thomas took the opportunity to issue
a statement questioning whether civil forfeiture
statutes "can be squared with the Due Process
Clause and our Nation's history."29 Noting that forfeiture "has become widespread and highly profitable" and has "led to "egregious and well-chronicled abuses," "frequently target[ing] the poor and
other groups least able to defend their interests
in forfeiture proceedings," Justice Thomas's statement invites an examination of whether the penal
nature of civil forfeiture prosecution requires the
government to meet its burden beyond a reasonable doubt in order to satisfy due process requirements.30 While no other justices joined in Justice
Thomas' statement, lawyers for property owners
should consider whether to assert and preserve for
appellate review this important due process claim.
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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
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For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 58
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