Dente v. State Taxation & Revenue Department, Motor Vehicle Division

1997 NMCA 099, 946 P.2d 1104, 124 N.M. 93
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 14, 1997
Docket18275
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 1997 NMCA 099 (Dente v. State Taxation & Revenue Department, Motor Vehicle Division) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dente v. State Taxation & Revenue Department, Motor Vehicle Division, 1997 NMCA 099, 946 P.2d 1104, 124 N.M. 93 (N.M. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

OPINION

ARMIJO, Judge.

1.The Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) revoked Ronald Dente’s (Driver) privilege to drive because he refused to take a breath test after he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Driver appealed to the district court. The district court affirmed the revocation, and Driver has in turn appealed to this Court. We proposed to affirm, and Driver has filed a memorandum opposing summary affirmance. Not persuaded by the memorandum, we affirm.'

2. Driver has raised several issues on appeal. The most significant is his claim that he was entitled, as a statutory or constitutional matter, to take pre-hearing depositions at the administrative level. Driver filed a written request for discovery with MVD before his hearing. That pleading included a request that Driver be allowed to depose the officer or officers who were at the scene of the stop and arrest. MVD responded to the discovery request by sending Driver a letter indicating that MVD had sent copies of the documents in its file to Driver. MVD refused, however, to comply with the request for depositions, stating that it is MVD’s belief that due to the statutory scheme applicable to revocation proceedings, depositions are not required.

3. At the administrative hearing, Driver did not attempt to demonstrate how he was prejudiced by the lack of a deposition or depositions. Driver’s attorney was able to cross-examine the arresting officer extensively concerning all of the circumstances surrounding the stop, arrest, and refusal to take a breath test. On appeal, similarly, Driver has not alleged any specific prejudice resulting from the lack of opportunity to depose the officer or any other person prior to the hearing. Driver’s position, therefore, necessarily is that he had a right as a matter of law to take depositions, and that the denial of that right was per se reversible error on MVD’s part.

4. Driver maintains, first of all, that he had a constitutional right to take discovery depositions, as a matter of due process. We disagree. “[D]ue process is a flexible concept whose essence is the right to be heard at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner.” New Mexico Indus. Energy Consumers v. New Mexico Pub. Serv. Comm’n, 104 N.M. 565, 568, 725 P.2d 244, 247 (1986). In general, the right to due process in administrative proceedings contemplates only notice of the opposing party’s claims and a reasonable opportunity to meet them. United States v. Florida East Coast Ry. Co., 410 U.S. 224, 242-43, 93 S.Ct. 810, 819-20, 35 L.Ed.2d 223 (1973).

5. In particular, the vast majority of opinions we have read have held that a party to an administrative proceeding has no constitutional right to pre-hearing discovery, including depositions. See, e.g., Silverman v. Commodity Futures Trading Comm’n, 549 F.2d 28, 38 (7th Cir.1977) (suspending commodity trader from profession; stating that there is no basic constitutional right to pre-hearing discovery in an administrative proceeding); N.L.R.B. v. Interboro Contractors, Inc., 432 F.2d 854, 857-58 (2d Cir.1970) (parties to judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings are not entitled to pre-hearing discovery as a matter of constitutional right); Chafian v. Alabama Bd. of Chiropractic Exam’rs, 647 So.2d 759, 762 (Ala.Civ.App.1994) (no constitutional right to pre-hearing discovery in administrative proceedings, including proceedings that threatened chiropractor’s license to practice); Smith v. Department of Registration and Educ., 170 Ill.App.3d 40, 120 Ill.Dec. 360, 362, 523 N.E.2d 1271, 1273 (1988) (in medical-license disciplinary action, doctor had no constitutional right to take a pre-hearing discovery deposition); Huntsville Mem’l Hosp. v. Ernst, 763 S.W.2d 856, 859 (Tex.App.1988) (due process in administrative proceeding mandates notice, hearing, the right to call and cross-examine witnesses, and an impartial trier of facts, but depositions need not be allowed).

6. Given the extensive law opposing Driver’s position, we hold that there is no general constitutional right to pre-hearing depositions in an administrative proceeding.

7. We now examine license-revocation proceedings in particular, to determine whether they are a type of proceeding that would somehow mandate that pre-hearing depositions be allowed as a matter of due process. License revocation proceedings are much in the nature of criminal or quasi-criminal proceedings. Stephens v. State, Transp. Dep’t, Motor Vehicle Div., 106 N.M. 198, 201, 740 P.2d 1182, 1185 (Ct.App.1987). They are designed to be a summary administrative proceeding that handles revocation matters quickly. State v. Bishop, 113 N.M. 732, 735, 832 P.2d 793, 796 (Ct.App.1992). Even in criminal cases and probation revocation cases, a defendant does not have an automatic constitutional right to take depositions. State v. DeBorde, 121 N.M. 601, 603-04, 915 P.2d 906, 908-09 (Ct.App.) (discovery in probation cases is less extensive than in criminal proceedings; proceedings to revoke probation are analogous to a hearing before an administrative body), cert. denied, 121 N.M. 644, 916 P.2d 844 (1996); State v. Herrera, 92 N.M. 7, 14, 582 P.2d 384, 391 (Ct.App.1978) (defendant in criminal case has no constitutional right to depose victim). Instead, a criminal defendant wishing to take a pre-trial deposition must show that it is necessary to take the person’s deposition to prevent injustice, and the district court in its discretion may order the deposition to be taken. Rule 5-503(B) NMRA 1997. Given the nature of license-revocation proceedings, and the fact that the rights at stake are certainly no greater than in criminal cases, we hold that there is no automatic due-process right to take pre-hearing depositions in license-revocation cases.

8. We note that in some cases, due process might require that depositions be allowed in order to afford a party a meaningful opportunity to prepare. Cf. Silverman, 549 F.2d at 33 (even though there is no constitutional right to pre-hearing discovery, the Due Process Clause does insure the fundamental fairness of a hearing in an individual case). In this case, however, as we noted above, counsel for Driver had ample opportunity to cross-examine the testifying officer at the hearing, and Driver has alleged no specific prejudice arising from the lack of opportunity to take depositions prior to the hearing. We therefore hold that no due process violation occurred in this case. Cf. Littlefield v. State ex rel. Taxation & Revenue Dep’t, 114 N.M. 390, 394,

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Bluebook (online)
1997 NMCA 099, 946 P.2d 1104, 124 N.M. 93, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dente-v-state-taxation-revenue-department-motor-vehicle-division-nmctapp-1997.