Opinion

State of Tennessee v. $133,429 In U.S. Currency Seized From Joni Assefa Kilenton

Court
Court of Appeals of Tennessee
Filed
May 10, 2022
Status
Published
On the bench
Judge Kenny Armstrong
Cited by
0 cases
Authority
More cited than 8.4%

The opinion

05/10/2022

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF TENNESSEE

AT JACKSON

April 19, 2022 Session

STATE OF TENNESSEE v. $133,429 IN U.S. CURRENCY SEIZED FROM

JONI ASSEFA KILENTON ET AL.

Appeal from the Circuit Court for Fayette County

No. 21-CV-5 J. Weber McCraw, Judge

___________________________________

No. W2021-01005-COA-R3-CV

___________________________________

In this seizure and forfeiture action, we do not reach the substantive issues because the

order granting the forfeiture does not comply with the requirements of Tennessee Rule of

Civil Procedure 58 for entry of judgments. Nonetheless, we exercise our discretion under

Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 2 to take jurisdiction of the appeal for the limited

purpose of instructing the trial court to enter an order on remand that not only complies

with Rule 58, but also makes sufficient findings to enable this Court to make a meaningful

review as required under Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 52.01. Vacated and remanded.

Tenn. R. App. P. 3 Appeal as of Right; Judgment of the Circuit Court

Vacated and Remanded

KENNY ARMSTRONG, J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which J. STEVEN STAFFORD,

P.J., W.S., and ARNOLD B. GOLDIN, J., joined.

Coleman W. Garrett and Philip Logan Wyatt, Memphis, Tennessee, for the appellant, Joni

Assefa Kilenton.

Herbert H. Slatery, III, Attorney General and Reporter; Andrée Sophia Blumstein, Solicitor

General; and Samantha L. Simpson, Assistant Attorney General, for the appellee, State of

Tennessee.

OPINION

On December 22, 2020, West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force Agent

Brent Hill conducted a traffic stop on a GMC Yukon with an Arizona license plate. As set

out in Agent Hill’s affidavit in support of the forfeiture warrant:

Agent Hill was traveling west on Interstate 40 at mile marker 42 in Fayette

County, Tennessee when he observed a silver GMC Yukon XL displaying

Arizona registration plate of MYY2746 transition from the fast lane to the

slow lane in front of a semi pulling a trailer. As Agent Hill approached the

vehicle he conducted a registration check of the vehicle and discovered that

the vehicle registration expired in May of 2020.

Agent Hill conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle at mile marker 38.

Upon making contact with the driver[,] Agent Hill asked the driver for his

license at which time he was presented with a State of Virginia driver’s

license that displayed the name Haussam Amir Ahmed Mohmed Amir.

Agent Hill noticed that while he was speaking with the driver that the front

seat passenger appeared to have difficulty controlling his breathing pattern.

He was breathing at a rapid rate and what appeared to be shallow breaths as

though he had just finished engaging in physical exercise. Agent Hill also

noticed that the front seat passenger’s stomach was moving to the rhythm of

a heartbeat. When Agent Hill asked for the vehicle registration the driver

advised that the vehicle was a rental and provided the appropriate paperwork.

Agent Hill asked Amir to step to the rear of the vehicle so that he could

explain to him the reason for the traffic stop and to complete the enforcement

action. Amir complied and stepped to the rear of the stopped vehicle.

Once at the rear [of the stopped vehicle] Agent Hill explained to Amir

that the vehicle registration was expired and he apologized and again

explained that the vehicle was a rental. Agent Hill invited Amir to have a seat

in the front passenger seat of his patrol vehicle while he conducted the

enforcement action. Amir complied and sat in the front seat of Agent Hill’s

patrol vehicle. Agent Hill conducted a driver’s license check on Amir and

engaged Amir in general conversation about his travel while waiting on the

returned request. Amir said that he was traveling from Virginia to Los

Angeles for the holidays and further explained that he once lived there and

was going to visit with old friends and then going to return back to the State

of Virginia. After reviewing several possible wanted persons with the same

or similar name and date of birth Agent Hill reviewed the rental agreement

that was provided to him by Amir. Agent Hill noticed that the vehicle was

rented on December 3rd, 2020 in Alexandria, VA and was scheduled to be

returned back on January 3rd, 2020 at the same location to Saba Ayand.

Agent Hill asked Amir what the name of his front seat passenger was and he

said that his name was Joni. Agent Hill asked Amir who rented the vehicle

and he told Agent Hill that his friend did but was not present in the vehicle.

Agent Hill asked why she would pay $2,483.29 to rent a vehicle and not

travel in that vehicle. Amir said that she was going to fly to Los Angeles and

he along with Joni were going to meet her there.

Agent Hill asked Amir what Joni’s last name was and he said that he

did not know his last name and that Joni was actually a friend of his friend.

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Amir further said that he picked Joni up in a parking lot and that he did have

a suit case. Agent Hill asked Amir if he had brought any luggage with him

and he replied that he did not other than a back pack but said that he did not

bring any clothes with him just a jacket and a few hygiene items. Agent Hill

asked Amir what [] property was inside the vehicle and if that property

belonged to him. Amir said that he had several cases of Mediterranean beer

that is not available in Los Angeles. Agent Hill then asked Amir a series of

questions that he asks on all traffic stops [where] he suspects criminal activity

being conducted. Agent Hill [] asked Amir to simply reply yes or no to the

questions being asked to establish a baseline of behavior. Amir said that he

understood. Agent Hill asked Amir if he was in possession of any marijuana.

Amir replied no. Agent Hill asked if there was any cocaine inside the vehicle

and Amir replied no. Agent Hill then asked about methamphetamine and

heroin Amir replied no to both. Agent Hill then asked Amir if there were any

large amounts of U.S. Currency $10,000 or more and Amir went into a long

explanation saying “me no, for me no I have $300 dollars but for me no.”

Agent Hill then asked if any large amount of money was located inside of

the vehicle would that money belong to him and he again replied no. Agent

Hill asked Amir for consent to search the vehicle and all its contents. Amir

gave Agent Hill consent.

Based on Agent Hill’s training and experience he knows that Los

Angeles is considered a source city for Drug Trafficking Organizations and

found the travel itinerary that Amir had told him was suspicious based on the

totality of the circumstances. Agent Hill then returned to the stopped vehicle

and made contact with the front seat passenger. Agent Hill asked him if he

had his identification on him and he presented Agent Hill with a Washington,

D.C. [ID] that displayed the name of Joni Assefa Kilenton. Agent Hill asked

Kilenton where he was traveling to and he advised he was going to Los

Angeles. When Agent Hill asked Kilenton what his reason for traveling to

Los Angeles was and Kilenton replied “we just opened a transportation

business there.” Agent Hill asked Kilenton to exit the vehicle. Agent Hill

asked Kilenton if he had any weapons on his person and said that he did not

and gave Agent Hill consent to pat his pockets. While patting his pockets and

felt what appeared to be a fold of cash in his cargo pocket. Agent Hill asked

him if he had any more money inside the vehicle and he said that he did not.

Agent Hill asked Kilenton if he knew of any large amounts of money inside

vehicle and Kilenton again said no. Agent Hill then asked Kilenton if any

large amounts of money w[ere] found inside the vehicle would it belong to

him and again Kilenton [] said no. Kilenton was asked to step to the front of

Agent Hill’s patrol vehicle while a search was conducted of the vehicle.

Upon arrival of Agent Ramsuer and Burton a search was conducted.

Agent Burton located a brown cardboard box laying in the rear third row seat

floorboard of the Yukon with no label or writing on the box. Agent Burton

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opened the box and discovered a small rectangular shaped object wrapped in

gold foil wrapping paper. Agent Burton handed the box to Agent Hill and

you could obviously tell by feel that the rectangular shaped package was U.S.

Currency. Agent Hill unwrapped the package and located five separate

bundles of U.S. Currency being held together by rubber bands.

Both Amir and Kilenton were placed in the back seat of Agent

Ramsuer and Agent Burton’s patrol car. Agents continued to search the

vehicle. Agent Hill opened the rear door of the Yukon XL and began

searching the rear cargo area. Agent Hill moved two beer case boxes and

located two additional brown cardboard boxes that did not match the beer

boxes. Agent Hill opened one box and located 21 pint sized brown bottles

that displayed the words of Promethazine with Codeine which is a schedule

V narcotic/controlled substance in the State of Tennessee. These bottles were

for pharmacy use only to mix smaller bottles for prescriptions. Agent Hill

then opened the second cardboard box and located a large amount of U.S.

Currency with several bundles being held together with rubber bands. Agent

Burton did run his narcotics detector canine on the currency and received a

positive alert to the odor of narcotics. Agent Hill contacted Special Agent in

Charge Darryl Harrison and requested that he come to the scene. Agent Hill

removed the U.S. Currency and Promethazine inside the front seat of his

patrol vehicle with his body camera recording the Currency and narcotics.

Upon arrival of SAC Harrison he was briefed of the findings and both Amir

and Kilenton were transported to the West Tennessee Drug Task Force East

office.

Once at the East Office the U.S. Currency was removed from Agent

Hill’s patrol vehicle and released to SAC Harrison who placed the currency

inside of evidence bags and secured it inside the vault. Deputy Director

conducted interviews on Amir and Kilenton. Amir was read and signed the

Miranda Warning. Amir stated that his initial statements were partially true

that he did used to live in Las Angeles and he is going to see some friends

while he is there but he also admitted that he is employed by Kilenton as a

driver for his transportation company. Amir said that he received a phone

call from Kilenton who told him that he needed to go to Los Angeles and that

he would pay him $20 an hour to rotate out driving with him and viewed it

as a free trip to see friends. Amir said that when he arrived at the location

Kilenton told him to be at then he was told they were driving the Yukon XL

and that it was already loaded with boxes prior to his arrival. Amir said that

he had no knowledge of the currency located in the vehicle and signed a

disclaimer of currency form stating that the currency was not his and he had

no knowledge of it.

Kilenton was also read the Miranda Warning and said that he

understood and signed the form. Kilenton said that he owns a transport

business in Virginia and had recently opened a transportation business in Los

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Angeles and that he was traveling there to check out his new office and see

what remodeling needs to be done. Kilenton said that he was only responsible

for $105,000.00 that was located inside the vehicle and said that he brought

the money with him because he had been told that banks were closed due to

the coronavirus. Kilenton was asked if he withdrew the money from the bank

and he said that he did not that he kept the currency at his house and just

decided to bring it with him. Kilenton said that he only has about $10,000.00

in the bank and only has one bank account. When Kilenton was asked how

much his transportation services had made in the last two years he said that

he had only made about $80 for the past two years and that he has eleven

limos that he must maintain with all of them not being paid for. When asked

how he obtained the currency he said that it was from tips of his customers.

Kilenton was asked about the foil wrapped package of U.S. Currency located

inside of his vehicle and the Promethazine with Codeine and Kilenton said

that he was unaware of those items being inside of his vehicle but that he was

transporting two packages for a customer who he only knows as E BIG BOY

and that he was supposed to contact [him] when he arrived to Los Angeles

to find out where the packages needed to be delivered. Kilenton signed a

disclaimer stating that he had no knowledge of any currency located inside

his vehicle other than $105,000.00. Kilenton could not explain why both

cardboard boxes that contained currency were bundled the same way and

held together with rubber bands. Kilenton and Amir were both given notices

of seizure and explained the steps to follow to file a claim on the currency.

On December 23rd 2020, SAC Harrison transported the money to the

West Tennessee Drug Task Force main office in Shelby County and to the

Trustees Office for an official count and the total of U.S. Currency was

$133,429.00. . . .

On March 2, 2021, Appellee State of Tennessee (“State”) filed a petition for

forfeiture of the $133,429.00 in U.S. Currency pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated

section 39-11-701, et seq. The State attached, to its petition, the forfeiture warrant, Agent

Hill’s affidavit supporting the warrant, notices of seizure, and disclaimers of ownership of

currency. On April 23, 2021, Appellant Joni Assefa Kilenton filed a response to the

forfeiture petition and request for return of the seized currency. Therein, Mr. Kilenton

affirmatively alleged that he had a legitimate ownership interest in $105,000.00 of the

seized currency, and that the currency “was derived from legitimate, legal business

enterprises.” Mr. Kilenton further alleged that the seizure “was the result[] of an unlawful

traffic stop and subsequent unreasonable, warrantless, illegal search, in violation of [his]

state and federal constitutional rights.” On the same day, Mr. Kilenton filed a motion for

the return of the seized currency and motion to suppress the results of the search. The State

opposed Appellant’s motions.

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During discovery, Mr. Kilenton maintained that the seized funds were derived from

his business, Joni’s Limos and Transpo, LLC. In response to the State’s discovery requests,

Mr. Kilenton tendered bank statements for accounts held in the name of Joni’s Limos and

Transpo, a certificate of good standing issued by Department of Consumer and Regulatory

Affairs for the District of Columbia, and various documents evidencing property owned

and insured by Joni’s Limos and Transpo, LLC.

On August 16, 2021, the trial court held a hearing on the State’s forfeiture petition

and the Appellant’s motion to suppress. After hearing testimony from the officers who

conducted the traffic stop, the trial court denied Mr. Kilenton’s motion to suppress by order

of August 25, 2021. On the same day, the trial court entered a separate order, granting the

State’s forfeiture petition. Appellant appeals and raises the following issues for review:

1. Whether the trial court erred in denying Appellant’s motion to suppress.

2. Whether there is substantial and material evidence in the record to support

the trial court’s determination that the seized funds were derived from

criminal activity and should therefore be forfeited to the State.

We do not reach the substantive issues due to two procedural shortfalls concerning

the trial court’s order granting the forfeiture. In its entirety, the order provides:

It appears to the Court that $133,429 was seized after being found in

a vehicle after a traffic stop. The money was found wrapped and boxed in the

vehicle along with illegal drugs. There were inconsistent statements made to

law enforcement by the occupants of the vehicle and the money was seized.

Mr. Kilenton claims $10[5],000 of the cash was his property earned

from his business and should be returned. Mr. Kilenton was a productive

entrepreneur and established a business as a limousine driver and transport

business. He testified that he was successful in his business, and that he

generated substantial income from this business. However, the Court finds

some credibility issues in his testimony.

[Mr. Kilenton] testified that he filed an IRS form 1099 on each

employee based upon the actual hours worked by each employee and he

introduced those documents into evidence. The 1099’s represented the

income earned by each employee based upon the hours worked. Oddly, the

Court notes that it is unusual that each 1099 issued resulted in a round number

for the income of each employee. Further, [Mr. Kilenton] testified that he

had to transport cash because the banks were closed in California during

December 2020 because of COVID which the Court finds to be inaccurate.

Further, [Mr. Kilenton] testified that he did not have a bank in

California yet he produced bank statements in these pleadings with Wells

Fargo & Chase Financial institutions which operate on both the east coast

and west coast.

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Further, Mr. Kilenton testified about his bank accounts, his income

and his tax returns. The Court noted oddities in some of the documents and,

there were considerable differences and inconsistencies between his

testimony and the documents introduced into evidence. He testified that he

had no income other than listed on his bank statements, yet he could not point

to a bank statement where a withdrawal of cash to accumulate the large

amount of cash seized by the State can be traced. Upon further reflection and

questioning, Mr. Kilenton then changed his testimony to say that the seized

money never went into a bank account and a portion of his income was cash

and not on his income tax return. The Court concludes that Mr. Kilenton is

not a credible witness.

The Court finds that the procedural and timelines as set out in T.C.A.

§ 39-11-701, et seq. were properly adhered to by the State. The Court

concludes and finds Mr. Kilenton’s sources of income and documentation of

income and expenses to be unreliable. The State of Tennessee has carried its

burden of proof, the proceeds were derived from criminal activity and the

$133,429 shall be forfeited to the State.

ORDERED this 16th day of August, 2021.

s/ J. Weber McCraw

Turning to the first procedural issue with the foregoing order, Tennessee Rule of

Civil Procedure 58 provides, in relevant part:

Entry of a judgment or an order of final disposition is effective when a

judgment containing one of the following is marked on the face by the clerk

as filed for entry:

(1) the signatures of the judge and all parties or counsel, or

(2) the signatures of the judge and one party or counsel with a certificate of

counsel that a copy of the proposed order has been served on all other parties

or counsel, or

(3) the signature of the judge and a certificate of the clerk that a copy has

been served on all other parties or counsel.

As presented in the appellate record, the trial court’s August 25, 2021 “Order

Granting Forfeiture of Funds” contains only the judge’s signature. In the absence of: (1)

“the signatures of all parties or counsel,” Tenn. R. Civ. P. 58(1); “the signature of one party

or counsel with a certificate of counsel,” Tenn. R. Civ. P. 58(2); or (3) “the certificate of

the clerk,” Tenn. R. Civ. P. 58(3), the entry of the judgment is not effective. Compliance

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with Rule 58 is mandatory, State ex rel. Taylor v. Taylor, No. W2004-02589-COA-R3-

JV, 2006 WL 618291, at *2 (Tenn. Ct. App. Mar.13, 2006) (quoting Gordon v. Gordon,

No. 03A01-9702-CV-00054, 1997 WL 304114, at *1 (Tenn. Ct. App. June 5, 1997)), and

“[t]he failure to adhere to the requirements set forth in Rule 58 prevents a court’s order or

judgment from becoming effective.” Blackburn v. Blackburn, 270 S.W.3d 42, 49 (Tenn.

2008) (citing DeLong v. Vanderbilt Univ., 186 S.W.3d 506, 509 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2005)).

This means that an order that does not comply with Rule 58 “is not a final judgment and is

ineffective as the basis for any action for which a final judgment is a condition precedent.”

Citizens Bank of Blount County v. Myers, No. 03A01-9111-CH-422, 1992 WL 60883, at

*3 (Tenn. Ct. App. Mar.30, 1992) (holding that an execution and garnishment was

improper when based on a judgment that did not comply with Rule 58); see also State ex

rel. Taylor, No. W2004-02589-COA-R3-JV, 2006 WL 618291, *3 (Tenn. Ct. App. March

13, 2006) (dismissing the appeal for lack of a final order when the order appealed from did

not comply with Rule 58). Accordingly, if the order appealed is not a final judgment, this

Court does not have subject matter jurisdiction to adjudicate the appeal. Tenn. R. App. P.

3(a) (“In civil actions every final judgment entered by a trial court from which an appeal

lies to the Supreme Court or Court of Appeals is appealable as of right”); In re Estate of

Henderson, 121 S.W.3d 643, 645 (Tenn. 2003).

Nonetheless, in the interest of judicial economy, we exercise our discretion, under

Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 2 (“For good cause, including the interest of

expediting decision upon any matter, the . . . Court of Appeals . . . may suspend the

requirements or provisions of any of these rules in a particular case . . . on its motion and

may order proceedings in accordance with its discretion . . . .”), for the limited purpose of

identifying a second procedural deficiency with the trial court’s forfeiture order.

As set out in context above, the trial court held that the State “carried its burden of

proof [to show that] the [seized] proceeds were derived from criminal activity and the

$133,429 shall be forfeited to the State.” However, the trial court does not sufficiently

explain how it arrived at this legal conclusion. Under Tennessee Code Annotated section

39-12-206(b), “[a]ll property, real or personal, including money, used in the course of,

intended for use in the course of, derived from, or realized through, conduct in violation of

[Title 39 Criminal Offenses] is subject to civil forfeiture to the state.” As set out in context

above, the trial court’s holding was based on the following findings: (1) “inconsistent

statements made to law enforcement by the occupants of the vehicle”; (2) “some credibility

issues in [Mr. Kilenton’s] testimony; (3) “each [of Mr. Kilenton’s employee’s] 1099

[forms] resulted in a round number for the income of each employee”; (4) Mr. Kilenton’s

testimony “that he had to transport cash because the banks were closed in California during

December 2020 because of COVID which the Court f[ound] to be inaccurate”; (5) Mr.

Kilenton’s testimony “that he did not have a bank in California yet he produced bank

statements in these pleadings with Wells Fargo & Chase Financial institutions which

operate on both the east coast and west coast”; (6) “oddities in some of the documents and

[] considerable differences and inconsistencies between [Mr. Kilenton’s] testimony and the

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documents introduced into evidence”; (7) Mr. Kilenton’s inability to “point to a bank

statement where a withdrawal of cash to accumulate the large amount of cash seized by the

State can be traced”; (8) Mr. Kilenton’s “changed” testimony “that the seized money never

went into a bank account and a portion of his income was cash and not on his income tax

return”; and (9) the “Court[’s] conclu[sion] that Mr. Kilenton [was] not a credible witness.”

From our review, nothing in the foregoing list involves criminal activity on the part of Mr.

Kilenton so as to justify forfeiture of the currency under Tennessee Code Annotated section

39-12-206(b). At least, the trial court has not linked any of the foregoing findings to such

criminal activity. Furthermore, it appears that the trial court placed the primary burden of

proof on Mr. Kilenton as the trial court does not list or discuss any specific evidence

presented by the State in furtherance of its forfeiture petition, other than noting the

following: “It appears to the Court that $133,429 was seized after being found in a vehicle

after a traffic stop. The money was found wrapped and boxed in the vehicle along with

illegal drugs.” While the State may certainly prove its case by circumstantial evidence,1

what is missing from the trial court’s order is a link connecting the facts to any criminal

activity, on Mr. Kilenton’s part, that was the source of the seized funds. Tennessee Rule

of Civil Procedure 52.01 requires that, “[i]n all actions tried upon the facts without a jury,

the court shall find the facts specially and shall state separately its conclusions of law and

direct the entry of the appropriate judgment” (emphasis added). Under Rule 52.01, a trial

court’s order should indicate why and how it reached a decision and which factual findings

led the court to rule as it did. Pandey v. Shrivastava, No. W2012-00059-COA-R3-CV,

2013 WL 657799, at *4 (Tenn. Ct. App. Feb. 22, 2013). If we cannot determine from the

trial court’s written order what legal standard it applied or what reasoning it employed,

then the trial court has not complied with Rule 52.01. See Ray v. Ray, No. M2013-01828-

COA-R3-CV, 2014 WL 5481122, at *16 (Tenn. Ct. App. Oct. 28, 2014). The reviewing

court must be able to ascertain “the steps by which the trial court reached its ultimate

conclusion on each factual issue.” Lovlace v. Copley, 418 S.W.3d 1, 35 (Tenn. 2013)

(quoting 9C CHARLES ALAN WRIGHT & ARTHUR R. MILLER, FEDERAL

PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE § 2579, at 328 (3d ed. 2005)). “Without such findings

and conclusions, this Court is left to wonder on what basis the trial court reached its

ultimate decision.” In re M.E.W., No. M2003-01739-COA-R3-PT, 2004 WL 865840, at

*19 (Tenn. Ct. App. Apr. 21, 2004). That is precisely the scenario we face in this case. In

the absence of any finding specifying how the seized currency was “used in the course of,

1

Litigants may prove any material fact by direct or circumstantial evidence or a combination of

both direct and circumstantial evidence. Browder v. Pettigrew, 541 S.W.2d 402, 405 (Tenn. 1976); Law v.

Louisville & Nashville R.R., 170 S.W.2d 360, 363 (Tenn. 1943) (Chambliss, J., concurring);

Hollingsworth v. Queen Carpet, Inc., 827 S.W.2d 306, 309 (Tenn. Ct. App.1991). Accordingly, in civil

cases, litigants may carry their burden of proof using either direct or circumstantial evidence. Bryan v.

Aetna Life Ins. Co., 130 S.W.2d 85, 88 (Tenn. 1939); Brown v. Daly, 83 S.W.3d 153, 160 (Tenn. Ct. App.

2001); Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co. v. Parton, 609 S.W.2d 518, 520 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1980). In fact, litigants may

prove their claim or defense entirely with circumstantial evidence because there are situations in which

circumstantial evidence may be more convincing than direct evidence. Estate of Brock ex rel. Yadon v.

Rist, 63 S.W.3d 729, 731 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2001).

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intended for use in the course of, derived from, or realized through” some violation of the

criminal code on the part of Mr. Kilenton, the trial court’s order is insufficient to provide

a basis for this Court’s review of the propriety of the forfeiture. On remand, the trial court

should comply with Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 58 for the entry of judgments, and

should also comply with Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 52.01 by making sufficient

factual findings to support its legal conclusion that the State met its burden of proof in this

case to show, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the seized currency was derived

from Mr. Kilenton’s engagement in some illegal activity.

For the foregoing reasons, we vacate the trial court’s order granting the State’s

petition for forfeiture. We pretermit the issue concerning whether the trial court erred in

denying Mr. Kilenton’s motion to suppress pending the trial court’s compliance with the

mandates set out in this opinion. To that end, the trial court is not precluded from reopening

proof on remand. Costs of the appeal are assessed to the Appellee, State of Tennessee.

s/ Kenny Armstrong

KENNY ARMSTRONG, JUDGE

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This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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