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How the State Can Seize Innocent Oklahomans’ Property through Civil Asset Forfeiture

How the State Can Seize Innocent Oklahomans’ Property through Civil Asset Forfeiture

Oklahoma’s civil asset forfeiture laws allows police to confiscate your personal property if they believe it is connected to a crime. The laws allow the state to collect millions of dollars in personal property that may have no relationship to a crime at all. Under civil asset forfeiture laws, citizens “forfeit” property that law enforcement believes had a connection to a crime. Police could seize cash found during a traffic stop, for example, if they suspected it was proceeds from the sale of drugs. The property seized can include anything from cash to vehicles to real estate. Most forfeitures involve cash...

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What Is a Motion to Suppress?

What Is a Motion to Suppress?

A lawyer defending a client accused of driving under the influence frequently will file a motion to suppress evidence on the client’s behalf. A motion to suppress asks the court to suppress, or not allow to be used in court, a certain piece of evidence. The motion argues that the evidence should not be used in court because it was obtained illegally, it is tainted, or for some other similar reason. Motions to suppress arise from the exclusionary rule in criminal cases. The exclusionary rule states that defendants have the right to have excluded from trial any evidence that was...

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