Class action lawsuits were filed due to a recent FBI raid at Beverly Hills.
The Fourth Amendment Rights may have been violated during an FBI raid in Beverly Hills. (Photo: Rolling Stone)
An FBI Raid Is Being Investigated By The 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is deciding whether an FBI raid on safe deposit boxes at a Beverly Hills business violated customers’ Fourth Amendment rights. The FBI raid seized around 1,400 boxes in March 2021 and took millions of dollars in cash and valuables, claiming the business was used for money laundering.
However, many box owners recovered through the FBI raid were not accused of any crimes. In line with the said FBI raid, civil asset forfeiture, a process where the government seizes property believed to be connected to a crime without charging the owner, was used by the FBI.
Some box renters filed a class action lawsuit, arguing that the FBI raid violated their Fourth and Fifth Amendment protections. The Institute for Justice is urging the appeals court to rule in favor of the individuals and order the destruction of private documents copied during the FBI raid.
According to a published article by Fox News, the FBI, and the US Attorney’s Office did not disclose their intent to confiscate the contents of boxes worth over $5,000 in their warrant request, which only authorized the FBI raid of certain items.
Returned Forfeited Property
In a published article by Reason Magazine, the U.S. attorney’s office attempted to block the release of court documents that exposed the deception and some forfeited property has been returned.
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