How to File A Claim and Answer in a Federal Civil Forfeiture Case:
Excerpt from Forfeiture 101 DVD:
This web video is an excerpt from FEAR’s continuing legal education video, Forfeiture 101, a two-hour crash course in federal forfeiture law and procedure.
This excerpt from the Forfeiture 101 video explains how to prepare the early pleadings required in a federal forfeiture case, information essential to forfeiture victims who have a very short period of time to file the proper responses – and do it properly – or else lose the right to contest the forfeiture.
This excerpt from Forfeiture 101 contains only the basic first steps of filing a claim 8 minutes excerpted from a 2-hour video.
Forfeiture procedures are very complex, and the steps described in this web video are only the first steps. After those deadlines there are many more. Lawyers not accustomed to defending forfeiture cases are often dumbfounded by the unusual procedures and counter-intuitive legal concepts they encounter, and consequently miss deadlines or fail to comply with procedural requirements they didn’t know about. To avoid making serious mistakes that could doom the claimants’ chances I recommend that lawyers purchase the FEAR materials, including the 2-hour DVD crash course, Forfeiture 101, FEAR’s Asset Forfeiture Defense Manual and a subscription to the Brief Bank.
This video describes the claims procedure under federal law. In state forfeiture cases, the procedures will vary. Consult the FEAR law library for the applicable state statute.