Michigan Supreme Court Rejects "Any Amount" for Medical Marijuana Card Holders
People v Rodney Lee Koon
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77 Day Rule In Michigan Drunk Driving DUI Cases
I get a lot of questions about the “77 Day Rule” from folks charged with a DUI. This mysterious rule that is rumored to exist inspires people to hope that a drunk driving charge will simply disappear, and they can move on with their lives. The truth is that I still field questions about this archaic rule from practicing lawyers.
The 77 Day Rule does exist, but it does not help win DUI cases. To the contrary, it is used as a weapon to hurt a person’s ability to defend a drunk driving case.
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How to Obtain Your Own Arrest Report and Drunk Driving Case Information
If you are looking to obtain information about an arrest, traffic stop, or a drunk driving case, you have a powerful tool available in Michigan. This tool is called the "Freedom of Information Act," and you can use it to help yourself to a wealth of information with minimal effort and nominal costs.
Appeal Overturns 16th District Court Discovery Policies
For years, we have challenged the 16th District Court policy regarding reciprocal discovery. The Livonia District Court has improperly compelled criminal defendants to provide discovery in criminal misdemeanor cases, even though the law is clear and unambiguous. Every time that this issue has surfaced, we have argued the law, cited the court rules, statutes, and the legal decisions, and the Livonia district court judges have ignored our arguments.
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FOIA Appeal Brief Against the City of Dearborn
It's a dirty little secret, but I have a strong background in civil litigation and still take the occasional case. The other lawyers I work with tend to handle the family law cases, divorces, personal injury, etc., but I used to handle the big breach of contract claims involving subcontractors to the automotive industry where hundreds of pages of interrogatories and endless days of depositions are commonplace.
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Can I Offer You a Drink? Free drinks on Maze!
When: Next Friday, October 19, 2012
Where: At our office in Livonia Michigan on Six Mile Road
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NHTSA/IACP Standardized Field Sobriety Test Training Course October 17-19
The Darrow criminal defense lawyers organization is pleased to announce that it is sponsoring a NHTSA/IACP Standardized Field Sobriety Test training event on October 17, 18, and 19, 2012. This intensive three-day course is being hosted at Northwood University in Livonia, Michigan. The course will be presented by Tony Corroto and William Maze. The student/practitioner will receive the same training that law enforcement officers receive throughout the nation in the most up to date National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's DUI Detection and SFST course.
Michigan State Police Forensic Science Division Struggles to Maintain Accreditation
The Detroit News reports on July 6, 2012, that the Michigan State Police crime labs are suffering procedural problems and have been extended their last extension of recertification. This applies to the entire lab, but it also includes the laboratory responsible for blood alcohol testing. As the News reports:
Inspections at the Michigan State Police's seven crime labs found procedural problems, including how evidence is handled, that need to be corrected before the agency gets a new international accreditation, according to documents obtained by The Detroit News.
Lions’ Berry Arrested For DUI in Harrisburg, Penn
Detroit Lions’ cornerback Aaron Berry has been charged with driving drunk following an accident in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. According to CBS News:
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Westland DUI: “Desires Urgent Income”
Judges take an oath to uphold the federal and state constitution, and this includes protecting people from overly aggressive police officers who abuse the powers afforded to law enforcement. The Fourth Amendment protects “against unreasonable searches and seizures.” Courts have consistently held that stopping a motor vehicle constitutes a seizure, no matter how brief, and police require reasonable suspicion to effectuate a traffic stop. But what happens when the Judge is guided by revenue pressure instead of the Constitution? Hometownlife.com reports the following:
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PBT devices are too inaccurate . . . to prove innocence?
A preliminary breath test (PBT) is a small handheld breath testing device used by police officers to determine whether or not to arrest a person for DUI. Typically, administration of the PBT follows field sobriety tests. Based upon a motorist’s performance of field sobriety tests and the results of the PBT, a police officer makes a determination to arrest or release the driver. PBTs are also used to convict minors of “possessing” alcohol.
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Police Officers Charged for False DUI Arrests
The following excerpt from the Chicago Sun-Times sounds like something from Bizaro World. DUI cases are being dismissed by prosecutors who reviewed in-car videos, finding that two Chicago police officers were fabricating drunk driving arrest records. And the prosecutors aren’t simply dismissing drunk driving cases. One officer is actually facing criminal charges. This is unreal. I feel strange and light headed. I’ve fallen down the rabbit’s hole… Quite frankly, this could never happen in Michigan.
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HGN: How reliable is the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test?
“The Robustness of the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) Test,” an article by the top federal researcher of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, Marcelline Burns, was supposed to be released in 2004. This study was supposed to explore different variations of the mysterious HGN eye test, where officers move a finger or pen before a person’s face, declaring the person drunk or sober in under a minute.
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Michigan State Police Toxicology Lab: Flawless Perfection
The Michigan State Police Toxicology Unit analyzes blood and urine samples for drugs and alcohol, often times for enforcing Michigan’s DUI laws. Each year, the laboratory performs 13,000 tests for alcohol and 2,500 tests for drugs. Although blood is generally more reliable than breath testing for alcohol, it is not infallible. Blood samples are frequently handled improperly. These samples are not refrigerated until they reach the state lab, and the samples are not tested for weeks or months.
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