Brown v. State

NIMMONS, Judge.

The appellant, the defendant below, appeals from an order of default entered in favor of appellee State of Florida by reason of the appellant’s failure to appear in person or through counsel at trial in a civil forfeiture proceeding instituted by the ap-pellee.1 We reverse.

In 1984, the appellant was convicted and sentenced on two counts of armed robbery perpetrated by the appellant in June 1983. At the time of appellant’s arrest, the police seized $2,311.45 in currency from his possession. The appellee instituted a civil forfeiture proceeding in 1983 via a petition for rule to…