Edwards v. United States of America

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Edwards v. United States of America, No. 0:13-cv-02336-JRT-JJK (D. Minn., filed Aug. 26, 2013)

Adijat Edwards arrived at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport from Nigeria.  U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (“CBP”) officers detained her upon arrival.  The officers confiscated $4,000 worth of her jewelry and, days later, forced her to withdraw $1,200 in cash using her bank card.  The officers told Ms. Edwards that the money was necessary to pay for her return flight to Nigeria as part of expedited removal proceedings.

Edwards later sued the United States for the torts of conversion and negligence based on the CBP officers’ misconduct.  The United States filed a motion to dismiss, which Edwards opposed.  The Court granted the government’s motion in most respects, but allowed the claim for conversion of property to move forward.  Following the Court’s decision, the parties reached a settlement. The Department of Homeland Security brought Edwards back to the United States; thereafter, Edwards obtained her green card and recently naturalized.

Counsel: Richard L. Breitman | (612) 822-4724 | breitman@ix.netcom.co

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