Victims who seek strike force seized property will be told of suit

People who call a new telephone hot line seeking to recover cash and property that may have been improperly seized by the defunct Metro Gang Strike Force will get a letter telling them about a proposed class-action lawsuit and listing the name and phone number of a Minneapolis attorney who is suing the Strike Force.

That's the agreement worked out by the attorney, Randy Hopper, and lawyers for the Strike Force's insurance company, the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust. A U.S. magistrate had urged the two sides to reach a deal.

"The hot line is going forward," Joe Flynn, attorney for the Strike Force, said Thursday. "Nothing has changed. ...We thought it was the right result, and we are pleased with it.

"A lot has changed," countered Hopper, who had asked the federal court to close the hot line. The agreement made his motion moot. "Before this, the notice would have never gone out," he said. "The court has taken supervision, and now the class knows it has access to legal counsel."

As of Thursday morning, five days after the hot line opened, 15 people had called it, and one prison inmate had written, said Stephanie Weiss, spokeswoman for the insurer. The hotline phone number ran in the Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press, but Weiss said there are no plans "right now" for further publicizing it. She noted there's no deadline for callers.

Weiss said a plan to publicize the hotline in the minority news media "is still open for consideration."

However, Joseph Daly, a Hamline University law professor, predicted that the insurer would take a "minimalist" approach: "I don't think the League of Cities will have much desire to publicize this hotline," he said, "because the hotline will give people a chance to ask for money from the League of Cities, but also inform them they can bring a lawsuit against the Strike Force."

An inquiry conducted by Andy Luger and authorized by state Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion found that some Strike Force officers made improper seizures, confirming a report issued in May by state Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles. His report said a considerable amount of property, including cars, was wrongfully forfeited to the Strike Force.

Luger recommended that a special master be appointed to review the seizures and forfeitures and return property and cash to rightful owners. Campion agreed with that approach, but he later concluded he lacked legal authority to do so. He and the advisory board of the Strike Force then agreed to support the insurer's plan for the hotline. It was announced over objections of Hopper, who had sued in July on behalf of alleged Strike Force victims.

Under the deal between Hopper and the League, people who call the hot line will get a letter confirming that they'd called the hot line phone number -- 651-209-2673 -- and asking them to complete a form and return it.

The letter also will inform them of the federal lawsuit against the Strike Force and others. It will say the lawsuit "includes property claims and claims for negligence and constitutional violations."

For those who want to write or call the firm about their rights as a member of the proposed class, the letter will include this: Zimmerman Reed, 651 Nicollet Mall, Suite 501, Minneapolis MN 55402 (phone 612-341-0400).