http://youtu.be/Y6MT_YLO5ygPhilly DA sued over $5.8 million civil forfeiture “machine.”The named plaintiffs are three Philadelphia residents who stand to lose their houses as a result of civil forfeiture actions by D.A., even though none of them has been charged with any crime. The District Attorney’s office regularly engages in the practice on the premise that the houses have been used as “instruments” of a crime (usually drug-dealing, usually by a relative).
The complaint does not go into specifics about what criminal activity the D.A. alleges took place in the houses involved, but emphasizes the impact of losing the houses would have on their owners. (One Plaintiff, Doila Welch, for example, shares her house with her siblings, including a cognitively disabled sibling, and their children. Welch, herself, suffers from mobility problems.)
http://citypaper.net/article.php?Philly-DA-sued-over-5.8-million-civil-forfeiture-machine.-20953