Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force v. Real Property Known as 414 Newberg Road

¶1 It has long been the law in Washington that “a devisee can take no greater interest in the devised property than the devisor has to devise.” Slasor v. Slasor, 111 Wash. 90, 99, 189 R 546 (1920). In this appeal, the beneficiaries of the estate of Rodney J. Pearson1 contend that they were entitled to assert the “innocent owner defense” to the forfeiture of a parcel of real property, notwithstanding that the property had been seized prior to Pearson’s death based on his use of it for commercial marijuana production. Holding that Pearson was unable to devise a greater interest in his property…