§ 4245. Remission or mitigation of forfeiture

(a) On petition filed within 90 days after completion of a forfeiture proceeding, a court that issued a forfeiture order pursuant to section 4244 of this title may order that the forfeiture be remitted or mitigated. The petition shall be sworn and shall include all information necessary for its resolution or shall describe where such information can be obtained. Upon receiving a petition, the court shall investigate and may conduct a hearing if in its judgment it would be helpful to the resolution of the petition. The court shall either grant or deny the petition within 90 days.

(b) The court may remit or mitigate a forfeiture upon finding that relief should be granted to avoid extreme hardship or upon finding that the petitioner has a valid, good faith interest in the property which is not held through a straw purchase, trust, or otherwise for the benefit of another and that the petitioner did not at any time have knowledge or reason to believe that the property was being or would be used in violation of the law. (Added 1985, No. 174 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; amended 2018, No. 8 (Sp. Sess.), § 7, eff. June 28, 2018.)