October 31, 2011: The Minnesota Court of Appeals held today that because forfeiture is a punitive civil action, a vehicle forfeiture statutes must be strictly construed, and that any doubt about statutory meaning must be resolved in favor of the party challenging forfeiture. Applying these principles, the Court of Appeals determined that the district court erred by refusing to return a vehicle to the party challenging a vehicle forfeiture. Patino v. One 2007 Chevrolet
Bradford S. Delapena
Attorney at Law
Based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis
and St. Paul, Brad Delapena specializes
in appellate law and state tax controversies. Brad graduated with
honors from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1991. He served as 1992 until 1999, specializing in appeals to
the Minnesota Court of Appeals and...