Minn. Stat. § 609.5318 Forfeiture of Vehicles Used In Drive-By Shootings

• Library: Minnesota Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current through 2023, c. 75
• Year: 2023
• Citation: Minn. Stat. § 609.5318

Subdivision 1. Motor vehicles subject to forfeiture.

(a) [A motor vehicle is subject to forfeiture under this section] If the prosecuting authority establishes by clear and convincing evidence that [the] a motor vehicle was used in a violation of section 609.66, subdivision 1e [. The prosecuting authority need not establish that any individual was convicted of the violation, but a conviction of the owner for a violation of section 609.66, subdivision 1e] [, creates a presumption that the vehicle was used in the violation], the vehicle is subject to forfeiture under this section upon a conviction for the same offense.

(b) The Department of Corrections Fugitive Apprehension Unit shall not seize a motor vehicle for the purposes of forfeiture under paragraph (a).

Subd. 2. Notice.

(a) The registered owner of the vehicle must be notified of the seizure and intent to forfeit the vehicle within seven days after the seizure. Notice by certified mail to the address shown in Department of Public Safety records is deemed to be sufficient notice to the registered owner.

(b) The notice must be in writing and:

(1) contain a description of the property seized;

(2) contain the date of seizure; and

(3) be printed in English. This requirement does not preclude the appropriate agency from printing the notice in other languages in addition to English.

(c) Substantially, the following language must appear conspicuously in the notice:

"WARNING: You will automatically lose the above-described property and the right to be heard in court if you do not file a lawsuit and serve the prosecuting authority within 60 days. You may file your lawsuit in conciliation court if the property is worth $15,000 or less; otherwise, you must file in district court. You may not have to pay a filing fee for your lawsuit if you are unable to afford the fee. You do not have to pay a conciliation court fee if your property is worth less than $500."

Subd. 3. Hearing.

(a) Within 60 days following service of a notice of seizure and forfeiture, a claimant may demand a judicial determination of the forfeiture. If a related criminal proceeding is pending, the 60-day period begins to run at the conclusion of those proceedings.

(b) The demand must be in the form of a civil complaint as provided in section 609.5314, subdivision 3, except as otherwise provided in this section.