The government hasn’t presented any evidence to show the expenses were “atypical” and hasn’t identified a similar yacht as a benchmark for comparison, he added.
“While the Court acknowledges that the Amadea’s maintenance costs are undeniably large in an absolute sense, this seems a natural consequence of seizure of…this type,” the order said.
He added that approving the sale of the Amadea simply because of its large maintenance costs would essentially allow the government to sell any seized property with substantial maintenance fees.
Legal team: Adam Ford, Renee Jarusinsky & Bryan McCracken