New Orleans Man Fights the Federal Government for His Life Savings

The federal government tried to keep his money using the abusive practice of civil forfeiture, which does not require charging Kermit with any crime, let alone securing a conviction.

Kermit teamed up with the Institute for Justice to ensure that the judiciary holds the government to its burden of presenting actual evidence of criminality before taking away what he worked so hard to set aside.

IJ filed suit on Kermit’s behalf. Weeks later, prosecutors agreed to return Kermit’s life savings and dismiss the case with prejudice, effectively clearing his name.

“When they seized my life savings, every penny that I’ve worked for, every honest Dollar that I earned over the last 25, 30 years, it made me feel like I was the dirt on the ground.”
IJ Client Kermit Warren

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