Bill > SR51

Introduced Session

This resolution respectfully urges the New Jersey Supreme Court to study the reasonableness of court fees in certain civil asset forfeiture cases in order to determine whether the fees in these cases should be lowered and Rules of Court should be promulgated to ensure uniform enforcement among the counties. A civil asset forfeiture proceeding is an action by the government seeking ownership of personal property either used as an instrumentality of a crime or the fruits of criminal activity. According to recent news reports, claimants in civil asset forfeiture proceedings are unable to afford the court fees required to file an action to reclaim their seized property. These news reports indicate that, in many cases, the court filing fees cost more than the value of property or money seized by law enforcement and, as a result, many people do not defend their rights in a civil action to seek replevin of seized property.

Committee Categories

Angela Mcknight (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document