Washington, D.C. paid $855,000 to settle a class action filed by property owners who argued that the city’s policy of seizing and taking their cash violated their constitutional rights. Using a little-known legal procedure known as civil forfeiture, District police seized small amounts of cash— with many seizures around $100—from approximately 9,000 people. In a settlement approved by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, $500,000 was disbursed to pay claims to 1,377 claimants, while nearly $300,000 was allocated for attorney’s fees and expenses. Further abuses of civil forfeiture could be curbed by reforms proposed by both the city council and Congress.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 21:15:02 +0000
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