City of Dallas v. VSC, LLC

joined by Justice HECHT, Justice MEDINA, Justice GREEN, Justice WILLETT, and Justice LEHRMANN.

We expect our government to retrieve stolen property and return it to the rightful owner. What happens, though, when a person claims an interest in property the government has seized? In this case, the City of Dallas seized vehicles, which it alleged were stolen, from a company that was entitled to petition for their return. See Tex.Code Crim. Proc. art. 47.01 a(a). Instead of pursuing its statutory remedy, the company sued, alleging that its interest in those vehicles had been taken without just…