Dec 13 2007
THE REFUSAL CASE
When a California DUI suspect refuses to take a chemical test,
both the DUI defendant and the prosecution are presented
with challenges and opportunities.
California has a law called the informed consent law of chemical
testing. What this means is that when you got your drivers
license, you agreed (although you probably did not realize it at the
time) that in exchange for the state giving you your drivers license,
you agreed to submit to a chemical test. This law means that the
state does not need a warrant or other court order to have you submit
to a chemical test.
If a DUI suspect is arrested and after arrest is given the opportunity
to take a chemical test such as a breath, blood, or urine test, and
refuses to take any chemical test, the DUI suspect will be charged with
an additional crime of refusing a chemical test.
The DUI suspect who refuses to take a chemical test gains some
advantages by refusing. The prosecution does not have a blood
level number to rely upon and has the more difficult job of proving
impairment as defined in California’s jury instructions. However,
this is of limited value.
Many DUI defendants are charged with refusal because at the time they
were asked to take a chemical test, the DUI defendant believed that
they had the right to speak to a lawyer. While this may be the
law in some states, it is not the law in California. This
mistaken belief has lead to many refusal cases.
In many DUI cases, the defendant agrees to take the voluntary field
sobriety tests while refusing to take the mandatory chemical
test. What this means is that in many refusal cases, the
prosecutor still has evidence of impairment through the officer’s
testimony about the DUI suspects performance on the field sobriety
tests.
Another common error DUI defendants make is to assume that by
submitting to the preliminary alcohol screening (PAS) test, that they
have satisfied their obligation to give a chemical test. In some
cases, under the right facts, this can be a winning argument.
However, in most cases, the refusal will still be charged.
Prosecutors and judges can be very hostile towards a DUI defendant who
has refused a chemical test. This hostility can be expressed in
increased jail time and extended alcohol education programs.
If the DUI defendant decides to go to trial and is found innocent of
the charge of driving while intoxicated, than the defendant can’t be
found guilty of refusing a chemical test.
During the trial, the Jury will be given an instruction that the act of
the DUI defendant refusing to take a chemical test is evidence that the
DUI defendant was conscious of his own guilt of the charge of
DUI. In some cases and before some jurors, this can pose a
significant challenge.
Given the challenges and risks to both the prosecution and defense,
many refusal cases are settled with some charge to the defendant.
In cases where the facts on impairment have been favorable or there
have been other defects in the prosecution’s case, I have been able to
obtain reductions to wet and dry reckless with a dismissal of the
refusal allegation.
It should be emphasized that persons under the age of 21 face very
severe penalties for refusing a breath test.
This article is not meant to advise anyone to refuse to submit to a
chemical test. I advise almost everyone that it is in their
interests to submit to a chemical test. This article is also not
a warranty of a result in your case. All cases are different.
Author Bio:
DUI Lawyer Kenton Koszdin of Los Angeles County, California DUI attorney
has helped many
people in Los Angeles and surrounding counties to save their drivers license and preserve
their driving privileges
from Drunk Driving Offenses
http://www.articlebiz.com/article/96469-1-the-refusal-case/
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Refusal-Case&id=750475
http://www.articlecube.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/162693
http://goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=626554
http://users.search-o-rama.com/Article255223.htm
http://www.acmearticles.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/52645
http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/220769
http://www.altrana.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/147156
http://www.articleadventure.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/83630
http://articlebin.com/view_article.php?article=75056
http://articlecrux.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/18581
http://articledepot.co.uk/article-222813.htm
http://articleway.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=23100
http://www.businesshighlight.org/user-add-modify-articles/76924
http://www.dxarticle.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/40271
http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/215788
http://www.easycontentpro.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/38576
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Refusal-Case&id=750475
http://ehealtharticle.com/articledetail.php?artid=6035&catid=1
http://www.ideamarketers.com/demo/publication.cfm?editorid=9592&pubid=4539&wherefrom=TOOLBOX
http://www.orbitaloc.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/72089
http://www.rightarticle.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/56729
http://www.submityournewarticle.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/219138
http://www.thearticlezone.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/117643
http://www.theleadingarticles.com/aid87472/THE-REFUSAL-CASE.html
http://ultimatearticledirectory.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=62801
http://www.uswebpros.com/THE_REFUSAL_CASE_120-9428.html
http://www.websition.com/articles/10625/1/THE-REFUSAL-CASE
http://www.articles43.com/article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE-113625.html
http://www.1articleworld.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/141981
http://archivex-ht.com/articles/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/123006
http://www.article-buzz.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/75345
http://www.articlecafe.net/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/58822
http://www.articlechimp.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/50151
http://article-content-king.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=122439
http://www.article-gems.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/19157
http://www.articlekarma.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/91901
http://www.articlemotron.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/108620
http://articlenexus.com/articledetail.php?artid=63026&catid=211
http://articlenova.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=3889
http://article-planet.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=31104
http://www.articlepotluck.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/72665
http://articlerack.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=30016
http://www.articles4free.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/24718
http://www.articles-book.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/15991
http://www.articlesbridge.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/18810
http://www.articleshelf.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/53375
http://www.articlestoreprint.com/article_110663_the-refusal-case.htm
http://articletower.com/articledetail.php?artid=23265&catid=309
http://www.articlewisdom.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/6636
http://articlexplore.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=4860
http://articlexplosion.com/articledetail.php?artid=25104&catid=309&title=THE+REFUSAL+CASE
http://www.articolando.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/4900
http://www.besthealtharticles.net/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/7320
http://electrictext.com/articledetail.php?artid=95656&catid=314
http://ezarticles.net/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/53120
http://garticles.theguruonline.biz/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/61852
http://www.healingmyfamily.com/health-articles/members/live-articles-edit.php?art=5052
http://www.indexed-articles.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/14377
http://knowhow-now.com/Business-article122746-THEREFUSALCASE.html
http://www.multiple-revenue.com/articles/index.php?page=article&article_id=13732
http://www.myarticlemall.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/42967
http://www.myarticlesdirectory.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/44300
http://www.onlineearnings.net/business/the-refusal-case.html
http://onlinejer.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/76218
http://portator.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/51929
http://www.thearticleworld.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/23447
http://www.therealarticles.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/84493″>
http://www.victortunggal.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/42602
http://ace-reviews.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/16778
http://affiliates-surveys-marketing.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=1756
http://www.afreearticle.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/61783
http://www.articlecrash.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/93629
http://articlefire.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=2671
http://articlefree4all.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/99757
http://www.articles4meandu.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/15709
http://www.articlesup.com/Article/The-Refusal-Case/79908
http://www.articletap.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/86229
http://articlevally.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/8073
http://www.ezarticles.info/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/4684
http://ezinesarticle.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/83548
http://freearticlepost.com/articledetail.php?artid=17908&catid=309
http://freewebcontentarticles.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/28912
http://justarticles.net/articledetail.php?artid=24643&catid=78
http://managementandbusiness.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=6046
http://www.marketingarticlebank.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/102004
http://www.oocuz.com/business/the-refusal-case.html
http://the-article-directory.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=1947
http://www.worldtech.cc/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/71785
http://www.kawarthapublishing.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/3582
http://www.articlesuniverse.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/106696
http://www.everyonesarticles.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/9726
http://www.info-hog.com/article.detail.php?artid=4486&subcatid=1&subcatname=Sales&maincatname=Business&maincatid=1&arttitle=THE%20REFUSAL%20CASE
http://articles-heaven.com/articles/?The-Refusal-Case&articleid=11464
http://www.articleyard.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/40870
http://onlinemlm.com/articledirectory/articledetail.php?artid=536887499&catid=0&title=THE+REFUSAL+CASE
http://www.anyarticle.net/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/119024
http://www.articlecache.com/articledetail.php?artid=76004&catid=309
http://www.articlecompilation.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/86830
http://www.articles.com.mx/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/128115
http://www.tss-articles.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/7415
http://worldwidetravelarticles.com/articledetail.php?artid=2288&catid=0&title=THE+REFUSAL+CASE
http://articlescorner.com/art5818_Los-Angeles-DUI-Lawyers-DMV-defense-attorney-field-sobriety-test-challenges-FST-challenges-DUI-LA-California-DUI-laws-drunk-driving-lawyer..html
http://www.article24.info/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/92976
http://www.articlebank.getwebin.com/Article/The-Refusal-Case/50163
http://www.bestdailyarticles.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/233764
http://www.articleselections.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/45723
http://www.cursebustersound.com/article/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/13282
http://www.article-emporium.ca/articledetail.php?artid=94634&catid=309&title=THE+REFUSAL+CASE
http://www.my-article-dashboard.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/54624
http://usrealestatearticles.com/articledetail.php?artid=2514&catid=0&title=THE+REFUSAL+CASE
http://ukrealestatearticles.com/articledetail.php?artid=1919&catid=0&title=THE+REFUSAL+CASE
http://www.e-articole.ro/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/60943
http://www.addondashboard.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/68223
http://aboutextinction.com/legal/the-refusal-case.html
http://www.article-tips.com/business/the-refusal-case/4295
http://www.besttoread.com/article.detail.php/21300/277/National,%20State,%20Local/Legal/71/THE%20REFUSAL%20CASE
http://www.dummiesguideto.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/159689
http://www.efunquest.net/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/6284
http://www.explorearticle.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/18797
http://graciousgeek.com/articledetail.php?artid=7545&catid=13&title=THE+REFUSAL+CASE
http://www.series-of-articles.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/5925
http://www.webiar.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/154723
http://www.articleated.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/9784
http://www.articledirectory.com/Art/109965/250/THE-REFUSAL-CASE.html
http://www.find-seo-advice.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/1735
http://www.gardenepic.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/62657
http://qualityfreearticles.com/articledetail.php?artid=66446&catid=309
http://www.itempad.com/Article/FIELD-SOBRIETY-TESTING—MORE-THAN-MEETS-THE-EYE/35230
http://www.thearticleboard.com/articles/33405/1/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/Page1.html
http://www.articleus.com/articles/573/1/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/Page1.html
http://dynamicarticle.org/business/the-refusal-case.html
http://contentking.eu/business/the-refusal-case.html
http://www.pacificarticles.com/articles/8781/1/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/THE-REFUSAL-CASE.html
http://www.articlesrevenue.com/articles/1098/1/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/Page1.html
http://www.bluewaterarticles.com/legal/the-refusal-case.html
http://tipsbin.com/legal/the-refusal-case.html
http://article-zine.com/business/the-refusal-case.html
http://arucc2006.com/?a=articles&p=1072
http://www.content4reprint.com/legal/the-refusal-case.htm
http://www.articlebasement.com/articles/54905/1/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/Page1.html
http://americanahost.com/blog-articles-directory/the-refusal-case.html
http://know-your-health.com/conditions/other-conditions/the-refusal-case.html
http://www.pandoras-archive.com/articles/2636/1/THE-REFUSAL-CASE
http://articleflair.com/legal/the-refusal-case.html
http://businesseducationsite.com/articlems/legal/the-refusal-case.html
http://articlecity.com.au/Legal/THE-REFUSAL-CASE.html
http://articlecue.com/articledetail.php?artid=93771&catid=309&title=THE+REFUSAL+CASE
http://www.articleinfo.org/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/143385
http://content-edge.com/articledetail.php?artid=49891&catid=309&title=THE+REFUSAL+CASE
http://www.particlearticles.com/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/63406
http://readezarchive.com/legal/the-refusal-case.html
http://www.thearticlesource.net/Article/THE-REFUSAL-CASE/171007
