2007年VOA标准英语-Lawsuit Seeks to Stop California From Selling U

By Mil Arcega
Washington
31 May 2007
 

The State of California is delaying the sale of more than five billion dollars in forgotten and unclaimed assets.   A property rights group is suing the state, claiming it has not tried hard enough to find the legal owners of the unclaimed property. VOA's Mil Arcega reports.

Property owner Wiilliam Palmer says sorting through the property is a huge task. "This has been done on a monumental scale."

Property owners attorney William Palmer accuses California's Bureau of Unclaimed Property of theft.  He is suing the state for failing to give proper notice to the more than eight million owners whose property is now in the state's custody¹.

California unclaimed property

The items include family heirlooms, rare coins, stocks and bonds and even rare Hollywood memorabilia -- property that Palmer says the state now claims as its own. "I don't know how you reunite people with their property if you don't even tell them that you've taken their property."

California officials argue the lost items were turned over to the state by insurance companies and banks after three years of inactivity.  Robin² Johansen, an attorney for the state says California has the right to liquidate³ the assets. "As all of these statutes⁴ provide, and as the U.S. Supreme⁵ Court has said, "It's perfectly⁶ constitutional; the state gets the use of it - not the bank.""

But the California Taxpayer's Association says the state has not tried hard enough to reunite owners with their property.  Most states require the publication of owners names but California provides only a website (www.sco.ca.gov). 

Association spokesman David Kline says the site once listed California's governor as an unlocated owner.  He says even the state's unclaimed property office was once listed as missing. "It shows the state's notification system needs to be improved.  If the State Bureau couldn't find it's own money, then how are you or I going to have a chance to find our money?"

Revenue from the sale of unclaimed property is used to boost the state's budget.  California's new state controller has imposed a moratorium⁷ on the sale of unclaimed property while the state considers ways to improve the search for owners.   The state estimates the delay will cost an estimated $127 million in lost revenue.

1 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

2 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

3 liquidate   

v.偿付，清算，扫除；整理，破产

参考例句：

• A unanimous vote was taken to liquidate the company.全体投票一致通过停业清理公司。
• They have not hesitated in the past to liquidate their rivals.过去他们曾毫不犹豫地铲除对手。

4 statutes   

成文法( statute的名词复数 )； 法令； 法规； 章程

参考例句：

• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Each agency is also restricted by the particular statutes governing its activities. 各个机构的行为也受具体法令限制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

7 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。