People v. One 1953 Mercury Four Door Sedan

The state appeals from a judgment for respondent finance company in an action for forfeiture of an automobile pursuant to section 11610 of the Health and Safety Code. The trial court allowed respondent’s asserted conditional sales lien on the ground that the lien had been "created after a reasonable investigation” of the purchaser within the meaning of section 11620 of the Health and Safety Code. As we shall point out, we do not find that the evidence showed such compliance with the code as its literal provisions or the decisions under it require. 1

One Harris, the registered owner, purchased…