The Director of Revenue appeals the circuit court’s decision setting aside the Director’s one-year denial of Mr. Brinker’s driving privileges under Section 302.171 of Missouri’s Revised Statutes.1 The circuit court found that the Director failed to meet her burden of showing that Mr. Brinker made a license application that contained false or fraudulent information. We affirm.2
Factual & Procedural Background
The Director of Revenue denied Mr. Brinker’s privilege to drive a motor vehicle in Missouri for one year, commencing August 9, 2010, for “committing fraud or deception during the examination process or making application for a permit, license, or non-driver license which contained false or fraudulent information.” See Section 302.171. Specifically, the Director alleged that Mr. Brinker had made a false statement in applying for a driver’s license. Mr. Brinker filed a petition in the circuit court for review of the Director’s decision, and the court held a hearing on March 7, 2011.
The circuit-court hearing was brief. The Director solely offered the Depart[379] ment of Revenue records into evidence. Mr. Brinker presented no evidence. Neither party adduced any testimony. The records submitted by the Director consisted of the following documents: a document entitled “Missouri Driver Record,” bearing the name of Kyle D. Brinker; a letter addressed to Mr. Brinker, informing him that the Director was denying his driving privileges for one year; and five documents that each contain a photograph, a signature, and certain personal information at the bottom of the page. Two of those photograph-containing documents bear the signature of a Kyle Brinker and contain information such as address, date of birth, height, weight, eye color, and license number and expiration date for a Kyle D. Brinker. The other three photo documents contain information for a Travis Allen Brinker, and bear the signature of a Travis Brinker. The person in the photograph on one of these documents bearing Travis Brinker’s name does not resemble the person in the photographs on the other two documents bearing Travis’s name; instead, the person somewhat resembles the person in the photographs on the documents bearing Kyle Brinker’s name.
The circuit court reinstated Mr. Brink-er’s driving privileges, finding the Director’s evidence insufficient to support the denial of Mr. Brinker’s driving privileges.
The court reasoned as follows:
The evidence presented by [the Director] does not contain any document purporting to be an application prepared and submitted by [Mr. Brinker]. The computer generated documents containing photos of two individuals offer no explanation or verification of what cause said documents to be created or at whose request. The remaining documents [presented by the Director] contain only a copy of [Mr. Brinker’s] driving record and a letter to [Mr. Brinker], neither of which provides any proof of the allegation made but only conclusions drawn by the [Director],
The Director now appeals, contending that the evidence she submitted was sufficient to satisfy her burden of making a prima facie showing that Mr. Brinker made a license application that contained false or fraudulent information. Thus, since Mr. Brinker introduced no evidence to show that the record was not true or was legally insufficient, the Director contends the circuit court erred in reinstating Mr. Brinker’s driving privileges.
Standard of Review
We will affirm the circuit court’s judgment unless it is not supported by substantial evidence, it is against the weight of the evidence, or it erroneously declares or applies the law. Miller v. Dir. of Revenue, 268 S.W.3d 407, 408 (Mo.App. W.D.2008); Murphy v. Carron, 536 S.W.2d 30, 32 (Mo. banc 1976).
Discussion
The Missouri Supreme Court, in its Kinzenbaw decision, announced the burdens of a driver and the Director in a proceeding under Section 302.311.3 Kinzenbaw v. Dir. of Revenue, 62 S.W.3d 49 (Mo. banc 2001). The driver bears initially the burden of producing evidence that he is entitled to a license. Kinzenbaw, 62 S.W.3d at 54. After the driver meets his initial burden, the burden shifts to the Director to produce evidence that the driver was not qualified for a driver’s license. Id. Once the Director meets her burden, it is the driver’s burden to show that the [380] facts that purport to be established by the administrative record are not true or that the grounds for the suspension are unlawful, unconstitutional, or otherwise insufficient under Section 536.150 to support the Director’s action. Id. at 54-55.
The Kinzenbaw court noted that there are two components to the burden of proof: the burden of producing — or going forward with — evidence and the burden of persuasion. Id. at 53. The burden of producing evidence is “a party’s duty to introduce enough evidence on an issue to have the issue decided by the fact-finder, rather than decided against the party in a peremptory ruling such as a summary judgment or a directed verdict.” Kinzenbaw, 62 S.W.3d at 53 n. 6 (quoting Black’s Law Dictionary 190 (Seventh ed.1999)). The burden of persuasion is “a party’s duty to convince the factfinder to view the facts in a way that favors that party.” Id. While the burden of producing evidence shifts from one party to the other and back again, the burden of persuasion does not. The burden of persuasion remains with the driver at all times. Kinzenbaw, 62 S.W.3d at 54.
Although in a denial proceeding such as this Mr. Brinker bears the ultimate burden of persuasion, once he showed that he was entitled to a license, the burden of producing evidence shifted to the Director.4 Id. To meet her burden, the Director was required to make a prima facie showing of each of the statutory elements necessary to support denial of Mr. Brinker’s license under Section 302.171 by offering evidence, based on the administrative record or otherwise, that Mr. Brinker had committed fraud or deception during the examination process or had made application for a permit, license, or non-driver license that contained false or fraudulent information — the stated grounds for denial in this case. Stellwagon v. Dir. of Revenue, 91 S.W.3d 113 (Mo. banc 2002).
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The Director of Revenue appeals the circuit court’s decision setting aside the Director’s one-year denial of Mr. Brinker’s driving privileges under Section 302.171 of Missouri’s Revised Statutes.1 The circuit court found that the Director failed to meet her burden of showing that Mr. Brinker made a license application that contained false or fraudulent information. We affirm.2
Factual & Procedural Background
The Director of Revenue denied Mr. Brinker’s privilege to drive a motor vehicle in Missouri for one year, commencing August 9, 2010, for “committing fraud or deception during the examination process or making application for a permit, license, or non-driver license which contained false or fraudulent information.” See Section 302.171. Specifically, the Director alleged that Mr. Brinker had made a false statement in applying for a driver’s license. Mr. Brinker filed a petition in the circuit court for review of the Director’s decision, and the court held a hearing on March 7, 2011.
The circuit-court hearing was brief. The Director solely offered the Depart[379] ment of Revenue records into evidence. Mr. Brinker presented no evidence. Neither party adduced any testimony. The records submitted by the Director consisted of the following documents: a document entitled “Missouri Driver Record,” bearing the name of Kyle D. Brinker; a letter addressed to Mr. Brinker, informing him that the Director was denying his driving privileges for one year; and five documents that each contain a photograph, a signature, and certain personal information at the bottom of the page. Two of those photograph-containing documents bear the signature of a Kyle Brinker and contain information such as address, date of birth, height, weight, eye color, and license number and expiration date for a Kyle D. Brinker. The other three photo documents contain information for a Travis Allen Brinker, and bear the signature of a Travis Brinker. The person in the photograph on one of these documents bearing Travis Brinker’s name does not resemble the person in the photographs on the other two documents bearing Travis’s name; instead, the person somewhat resembles the person in the photographs on the documents bearing Kyle Brinker’s name.
The circuit court reinstated Mr. Brink-er’s driving privileges, finding the Director’s evidence insufficient to support the denial of Mr. Brinker’s driving privileges.
The court reasoned as follows:
The evidence presented by [the Director] does not contain any document purporting to be an application prepared and submitted by [Mr. Brinker]. The computer generated documents containing photos of two individuals offer no explanation or verification of what cause said documents to be created or at whose request. The remaining documents [presented by the Director] contain only a copy of [Mr. Brinker’s] driving record and a letter to [Mr. Brinker], neither of which provides any proof of the allegation made but only conclusions drawn by the [Director],
The Director now appeals, contending that the evidence she submitted was sufficient to satisfy her burden of making a prima facie showing that Mr. Brinker made a license application that contained false or fraudulent information. Thus, since Mr. Brinker introduced no evidence to show that the record was not true or was legally insufficient, the Director contends the circuit court erred in reinstating Mr. Brinker’s driving privileges.
Standard of Review
We will affirm the circuit court’s judgment unless it is not supported by substantial evidence, it is against the weight of the evidence, or it erroneously declares or applies the law. Miller v. Dir. of Revenue, 268 S.W.3d 407, 408 (Mo.App. W.D.2008); Murphy v. Carron, 536 S.W.2d 30, 32 (Mo. banc 1976).
Discussion
The Missouri Supreme Court, in its Kinzenbaw decision, announced the burdens of a driver and the Director in a proceeding under Section 302.311.3 Kinzenbaw v. Dir. of Revenue, 62 S.W.3d 49 (Mo. banc 2001). The driver bears initially the burden of producing evidence that he is entitled to a license. Kinzenbaw, 62 S.W.3d at 54. After the driver meets his initial burden, the burden shifts to the Director to produce evidence that the driver was not qualified for a driver’s license. Id. Once the Director meets her burden, it is the driver’s burden to show that the [380] facts that purport to be established by the administrative record are not true or that the grounds for the suspension are unlawful, unconstitutional, or otherwise insufficient under Section 536.150 to support the Director’s action. Id. at 54-55.
The Kinzenbaw court noted that there are two components to the burden of proof: the burden of producing — or going forward with — evidence and the burden of persuasion. Id. at 53. The burden of producing evidence is “a party’s duty to introduce enough evidence on an issue to have the issue decided by the fact-finder, rather than decided against the party in a peremptory ruling such as a summary judgment or a directed verdict.” Kinzenbaw, 62 S.W.3d at 53 n. 6 (quoting Black’s Law Dictionary 190 (Seventh ed.1999)). The burden of persuasion is “a party’s duty to convince the factfinder to view the facts in a way that favors that party.” Id. While the burden of producing evidence shifts from one party to the other and back again, the burden of persuasion does not. The burden of persuasion remains with the driver at all times. Kinzenbaw, 62 S.W.3d at 54.
Although in a denial proceeding such as this Mr. Brinker bears the ultimate burden of persuasion, once he showed that he was entitled to a license, the burden of producing evidence shifted to the Director.4 Id. To meet her burden, the Director was required to make a prima facie showing of each of the statutory elements necessary to support denial of Mr. Brinker’s license under Section 302.171 by offering evidence, based on the administrative record or otherwise, that Mr. Brinker had committed fraud or deception during the examination process or had made application for a permit, license, or non-driver license that contained false or fraudulent information — the stated grounds for denial in this case. Stellwagon v. Dir. of Revenue, 91 S.W.3d 113 (Mo. banc 2002).
We agree that the Director did not meet her burden in this case. The records submitted by the Director do not contain sufficient information for the circuit court to find that Mr. Brinker made an application for a driver’s license that contained or was substantiated with false or fraudulent information or documentation. The driving record and notice letter do not provide any proof of the allegations made by the Director. And as the circuit court noted, the documents offer no explanation or verification of what caused said documents to be created or at whose request. The Director offered no evidence to explain the origin or the context of the documents. The documents contain no proof that Mr. Brinker — or anyone else for that matter— was even making an application for license. And if a license application was made, the documents do not show who supplied the false or fraudulent information or what the false or fraudulent information was. The Director is relying upon unsubstantiated photos, speculation, and stacked inferences to support her theory that Mr. Brinker made a false statement in applying for a driver’s license.
Missouri law does not expressly prohibit the Director from submitting a denial case [381] under Section 302.171 solely on the record. However, the submission of a case on records alone poses a risk of the inability to explain discrepancies or other matters in the record. See, e.g., Cannon v. Dir. of Revenue, State of Missouri, 895 S.W.2d 302, 306 (Mo.App. E.D.1995); Richardson v. Dir. of Revenue, 165 S.W.3d 236, 240 (Mo.App. S.D.2005); Jarrell v. Dir. of Revenue, 41 S.W.3d 42, 46 (Mo.App. S.D.2001); Reece v. Dir. of Revenue, 61 S.W.3d 288, 292 (Mo.App. E.D.2001). We have often stated that the Director proceeds at her peril, and thus should exercise caution, when proceeding in such a manner, for if one of the requisite elements has not been proven by the records themselves, the Director has failed to meet her burden. Cannon, 895 S.W.2d at 306; see also, Richardson, 165 S.W.3d at 240; Jarrell, 41 S.W.3d at 46; Reece, 61 S.W.3d at 292.
To conclude, the Director did not satisfy her burden of producing evidence demonstrating a prima facie showing of the facts necessary to support the denial of Mr. Brinker’s driving privileges. We therefore hold that the circuit court did not err in reinstating those privileges.
We affirm the circuit court’s judgment.
KATHIANNE KNAUP CRANE, P.J., concurs.