Judge Once Again Dismisses Ka Nefer Nefer Forfeiture Case

U.S. District Court Judge Henry Edward Autrey yesterday denied the government's motion to file a new complaint to forfeit the Ka Nefer Nefer mummy mask from the St. Louis Art Museum (SLAM).  In a brief order, the judge described how he had ruled on the case twice before:

"On March 31, 2012 the Court entered an Order dismissing the Verified Complaint in the instant matter. After allowing The Government an extension of time to file its Motion for Reconsideration, on May 7, 2012, The Government filed a Motion to Reconsider Order and Opinion Dismissing Verified Complaint. In the motion, The Government requested, in the alternative, that the Court grant The Government an additional seven (7) days to move for leave to file an amended complaint before entry of judgment. On June 1, 2012, The Court denied the Government’s Motion for Reconsideration in its entirety. For the reasons outlined in The Court’s March 31, 2012 Order of Dismissal, and for the reasons offered in its Order denying reconsideration, The Court denies The Government’s requested leave raised in its motion submitted on June 8, 2012." (Citations omitted).

The U.S. Attorney's Office must now consider whether to appeal the rulings to the Eight Circuit.

UPDATE: The case will be appealed.

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(c) Ricardo A. St. Hilaire, Attorney & Counselor at Law, PLLC