Hedrick v. Director of Revenue

207 S.W.3d 675, 2006 Mo. App. LEXIS 1841, 2006 WL 3490801
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 29, 2006
Docket27380
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 207 S.W.3d 675 (Hedrick v. Director of Revenue) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hedrick v. Director of Revenue, 207 S.W.3d 675, 2006 Mo. App. LEXIS 1841, 2006 WL 3490801 (Mo. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

NANCY STEFFEN RAHMEYER, Presiding Judge.

The Director of Revenue (“the Director”) suspended the driving privileges of Roger D. Hedrick (“Hedrick”) for driving while intoxicated. At a trial de novo, the Circuit Court of Greene County found there was not probable cause to arrest Hedrick and reinstated his driving privileges. The Director appeals that determination. We dismiss the appeal for lack of an adequate record.

In the record is a letter from the Director to the Greene County Circuit Court requesting the trial transcript. That letter requested that the clerk notify counsel in writing if no record was made. There is no response to the letter in the record and nothing more concerning the transcript in the legal file.

Appellant relies upon a letter dated February 24, 2006, that was written by the Director and addressed to this Court with the filing of the legal file. The letter contains a hearsay allegation that “Crystal, with Judge Jason Brown’s office, has informed [the Director] that no record was made in the case, so therefore there is no transcript.” If the Director wanted to rely on that letter as evidence that no trial transcript was made, then she should have sought written confirmation that no record was made of the trial from the circuit clerk and have it certified as part of the legal *677 file. Appellate courts generally do not consider evidence outside the record on appeal. 8182 Maryland Assoc., Ltd. P’ship v. Sheehan, 14 S.W.3d 576, 587 (Mo. banc 2000). The February 24th letter is not properly before us.

As to the remaining record before us, the legal file includes the trial court’s docket sheets, which includes an entry on the day of the trial: “Parties[’] evidence submitted. Matter under advisement pending further evidence.” Additionally, the parties filed a stipulation, which states that a videotape of Hedrick’s stop and arrest was part of the record on appeal and was viewed by the trial court before entering its judgment. The legal file also includes police reports and the results of Hedrick’s blood alcohol test, but there is no indication whether the police reports and blood alcohol test were offered or admitted into evidence.

Rule 81.13 1 provides a means for parties to set forth an agreed statement as to the record on appeal:

When the questions presented by an appeal can be determined without an examination of all the pleadings, evidence and proceedings in the court below, the parties may prepare and sign a statement of the case showing how the questions arose and were decided in the trial court and setting forth only so many of the facts averred and proved or sought to be proved as are essential to a decision of the questions by the appellate court. The statement shall include a copy of the judgment or order appealed from, a copy of the notice of appeal with its filing date and a concise statement of the points to be relied on by the appellant. If the statement conforms to the truth, it, together with such additions as the Court may consider necessary fully to present the questions raised by the appeal, shall be approved by the trial court and shall then be certified to the appellate court as the record on appeal.

Rule 81.13. A proper “agreed statement of the record on appeal” was not filed by the parties here.

The Director brings one point on appeal, claiming the trial court erred in reinstating Hedrick’s driving privileges because there was probable cause to arrest Hedrick. We cannot, however, review the merits of this appeal in the absence of a transcript of the proceedings below or a proper record from the trial court. If a party petitions this Court for review of an issue, then it is his duty to provide “all of the record, proceedings and evidence necessary to the determination of all questions to be presented.” Rule 81.12(a); see also Davis v. Long, 521 S.W.2d 7, 8-9 (Mo.App.Spfld.D.1975). Absent these items, this Court has nothing to decide. Davis, 521 S.W.2d 7, 9. The Director failed to provide all of the record, proceedings and evidence necessary for a determination of the questions to be presented.

We note all contested civil cases tried before an associate circuit judge must be recorded. Section 512.180.2. 2 This section provides for a variety of means for making such a record at the judge’s discretion. Id. Regardless of the method employed, however, it is clear that a record of such proceedings must be made. Sellenriek v. Director of Revenue, 826 S.W.2d 338, 342 (Mo. banc 1992). We are at a loss to determine if a record was requested by either party. We are also at a loss to determine what evidence was offered, admitted, or considered by the court.

It is incumbent on the party who desires to have a record made of the trial *678 proceedings to make such a timely request of the court. Leahy v. Leahy, 858 S.W.2d 221, 228 (Mo. banc 1993) (holding that because Appellant failed to request on the record that the proceeding be on the record, the supreme court had nothing to review to determine whether there was insufficient evidence to sustain the trial court’s order); State v. Brown, 744 S.W.2d 809, 812 (Mo. banc 1988) (stating that “it is the obligation of the party desiring to create a record to do so at the time the statement or event occurred ... and to furnish that record on appeal.”); State v. Hoopes, 534 S.W.2d 26, 32 (Mo. banc 1976) (concluding that “[i]f the attorneys or the court had desired to place ‘on the record’ statements, discussion, or proceedings which took place ‘off the record’, it was their obligation to do so at the time the statement or event occurred.”).

In Sellenriek, the court commented that the parties filed an “agreed statement of the record on appeal” pursuant to Rule 81.13. Id. at 342 n. 5. It concluded that the statement was insufficient for appellate review in that it only stated that evidence was presented at trial that the appellant had .13% blood alcohol content (“BAC”). Id. The court continued that the statement failed to reflect whether the appellant stipulated to the BAC results at trial or whether an objection was made as to the admission of the analysis, and if so, what the basis of the objection was or the court’s ruling on any objection. Id. The court cited to the requirement in sections 512.180.2and 478.072.1 that associate circuit judges “preserve the record” by using approved methods of sound recording or a court reporter. Id. at 342.

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Bluebook (online)
207 S.W.3d 675, 2006 Mo. App. LEXIS 1841, 2006 WL 3490801, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hedrick-v-director-of-revenue-moctapp-2006.