Appellate Decisions
| Jurisdiction | Kansas,United States |
| Citation | Vol. 88 No. 9 Pg. 52 |
| Pages | 52 |
| Publication year | 2019 |
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Kansas State Supreme Court
Attorney Discipline
ORDER OF DISBARMENT IN RE LARRY DEAN TOOMEY NO. 11,959—AUGUST 29, 2019
FACTS: In a letter dated August 13, 2019, Larry Dean Toomey voluntarily surrendered his license to practice law in Kansas. At the time of surrender, a disciplinary complaint was pending. Toomey was convicted of two counts of felony theft; the victim was his client.
HELD: The Court accepted the surrender, and Toomey is disbarred.
ORDER OF REINSTATEMENT IN RE DAVID E. HERRON, II NO. 119,726—SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
FACTS: In May 2019, Herron's license to practice law in Kansas was suspended for 60 days. After that time elapsed, Herron filed a petition for reinstatement. The office of the Disciplinary Administrator had no objection to reinstatement
HELD: Seeing no objection, the court considered and granted Herron's petition for reinstatement.
ORDER OF REINSTATEMENT IN RE HARRY LOUIS NAJIM NO. 116,943—SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
FACTS: Najim's license to practice law in Kansas was indefinitely suspended in December 2017. Najim petitioned for reinstatement in November 2018. After an investigation, Najim appeared at a hearing and the panel recommended that Najim's license be reinstated.
HELD: After a thorough review of the hearing panel's report, the court accepts the findings and finds that Najim's license should be reinstated.
CIVIL
DRIVERS LICENSE—DUE PROCESS CREECY V KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE JOHNSON DISTRICT COURT— AFFIRMED IN PART AND REVERSED IN PART COURT OF APPEALS—AFFIRMED IN PART AND REVERSED IN PART NO. 117,035—AUGUST 23, 2019
FACTS: It is undisputed that law enforcement had probable cause to arrest Creecy for DUI. Creecy showed signs of a medical emergency, and EMS was called, but he momentarily recovered. Law enforcement gave Creecy the implied consent advisories, both orally and using the DC-70 written form. Creecy attempted to give a breath sample but was unable to produce enough air to register a sample. After the second failure, the officer told Creecy that his inability to provide a sample constituted a failure. The officer completed the notice of suspension form—the DC-27—and Creecy was arrested. Creecy requested an administrative hearing, paying the statutorily-required $50 fee. The ALJ affirmed the suspension, and Creecy petitioned for review. The district court affirmed the ALJ and Creecy appealed, claiming that his failure to complete the test was caused by a medical condition, that both the implied consent advisory and the notice of suspension were statutorily insufficient, and that the required $50 is facially unconstitutional. The court of appeals affirmed the district court. Creecy's petition for review was granted.
ISSUES: (1) Constitutionality of mandatory fee; (2) adequacy of service; (3) whether failure equaled refusal; (4) adequacy of implied consent advisory
HELD: There is no statutory provision for a waiver of the $50 fee that must be paid in advance of an administrative hearing. A driver's license is an interest which entitles the holder to procedural due process protections before revocation or suspension. Where fundamental rights are implicated, allowances should be made for indigent litigants. The lack of such allowances here creates a barrier to due process. Accordingly, the $50 fee is unconstitutional on its face. Evidence shows that Creecy was given the DC-27 form before being transported to the hospital. That is adequate to show that Creecy received adequate service. Creecy had the burden to show that his test failure was due to a medical condition. He did not introduce any evidence to show the cause of his failure to produce a sample. In the absence of this evidence, the district court is affirmed. The DC-70 advisory given by law enforcement substantially complied with the statute.
CONCURRENCE: Stegall, J. concurs in the result
STATUTES: K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 8-1001 (a), -1001(b)(1) (A), -1001(k), -1001(q), -1002, -1002(c), -1012(d), -1013(i), -1020(a)(1), -1020(d)(2), -1020(o), -1020(p); K.S.A. 77-611 DRIVERS LICENSE—DUE PROCESS MEATS V KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE JOHNSON DISTRICT COURT—AFFIRMED NO. 116,469—AUGUST 23, 2019
FACTS: Meats was arrested for DUI. He refused to perform a post-arrest evidentiary breath test. An officer gave Meats the implied consent advisory both orally and in writing. After being released, Meats requested an administrative hearing to challenge the administrative suspension of his driver's license. The suspension was affirmed by an ALJ, and Meats appealed to district court where he argued, among other things, that the $50 fee that is statutorily required before an administrative hearing is held is unconstitutional. The district court affirmed the license suspension but agreed with Meats that the fee is unconstitutional because it lacks reasonable accommodations for indigent drivers. The issue was moot with respect to Meats, who had already paid the fee. The Department of Revenue appealed the ruling on the fee, and Meats cross-appealed the suspension of his license. Under K.S.A. 60-2101(b), the appeal was heard directly by the Supreme Court.
ISSUES: (1) Constitutionality of mandatory fee; (2) adequacy of implied consent advisory
HELD: The $50 fee imposed by K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 8-1020(d)(2) is unconstitutional on its face because it requires payment of a fee, without provision for indigency, before a motorist can obtain procedural due process during the license suspension process. The DC-70 form given to Meats substantially complies with relevant statutes. The evidence before the court shows that law enforcement complied with the statute when serving Meats with the DC-27.
CONCURRENCE: Stegall, J. concurs in the result
STATUTES: K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 8-1001(k)(4)(A), -1002(c), -1013(i), -1020(a)(1), -1020(d)(2); K.S.A. 60-2101(b) DRIVERS LICENSE—DUE PROCESS ROSENDAHL V KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE MIAMI DISTRICT COURT—AFFIRMED IN PART AND REVERSED IN PART NO. 117,862—AUGUST23, 2019
FACTS: After responding to the scene of a car accident, law enforcement asked Rosendahl to perform field sobriety tests. After she failed the preliminary breath test, Rosendahl was arrested. The Intoxilyzer test showed she was well over the legal driving limit. Rosendahl requested an administrative hearing and paid the statutorily-required $50 fee. The ALJ affirmed the suspension, finding that the officer had reasonable grounds to believe that Rosendahl was operating a vehicle under the influence. Rosendahl petitioned for review, arguing before the district court that her intoxication was due to alcohol consumption after the accident but before law enforcement arrived. After hearing evidence, the district court reversed the ALJ finding that the breath test was due to Rosendahl's post-accident alcohol consumption. The district court also agreed with Rosendahl that the $50 filing fee was unconstitutional, but found the issue moot since Rosendahl paid the fee. The Department of Revenue appealed, and under K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 8-1020(d)(2) the case was heard directly by the Supreme Court.
ISSUES: (1) Reasonable grounds to request a breath test; (2) constitutionality of mandatory fee
HELD: Rosendahl failed to raise the issue of post-accident alcohol consumption before the ALJ. Based on the totality of the circumstances, law enforcement had no duty to inquire about whether Rosendahl was drinking after the accident, especially since Rosendahl did not raise the issue herself. The district court erred by giving controlling weight to testimony concerning intervening alcohol consumption. As held in other decisions issued this day, the nonrefundable $50 fee required by K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 8-1020(d)(2) is unconstitutional on its face.
CONCURRENCE AND DISSENT: (Stegall, J., joined by Rosen and Johnson, JJ.) The majority correctly found that the officer had reasonable grounds to request a breath test and that the administrative hearing fee is unconstitutional. But the district court should be affirmed as being right for the wrong reason. It is clear that Rosendahl was not driving under the influence
STATUTES: K.S.A. 2018 Supp. 8-259, 77-614(b)(6); K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 8-1001(b), -1020(d)(2), -1020(h)(2), -1020(h)(2)(A), -1020(q)
AMANUENSIS—ESTATES IN RE ESTATE OF MOORE COWLEY DISTRICT COURT— AFFIRMED COURT OF APPEALS—AFFIRMED NO. 115,628—SEPTEMBER 6, 2019
FACTS: Roxie Moore owned close to 900 acres of land throughout the state. Over the years, she used portions of that land as security to help her son, Harvey. Not only did Roxie use land as collateral for Harvey, but Harvey took over $100,000 from Roxie through the years. Roxie's health began to decline, and she named Maureen— Harvey's ex-wife— as her durable power of attorney. Around this time, Roxie hired counsel to protect the rest of her property from Harvey. She wanted a transfer-on-death deed that would assign the land to Harvey's children through Maureen. After the deed was prepared and Roxie read it, she asked Maureen to sign the appellate decisions deed for her, with a note that she was the power of attorney. Roxie died in 2009, and Maureen executed a warranty deed transferring property to Harvey's sons, as Roxie wished. Harvey opened a probate proceeding seeking a determination of descent of the real estate. The sons responded that certain real estate had passed to them under the...
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