La Anyane v. State

321 Ga. 312
Supreme Court of Georgia·Decided March 4, 2025·No. S24A1112·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

321 Ga. 312 FINAL COPY

S24A1112. LA ANYANE V. THE STATE.

PINSON, Justice.

Evelyn-Natasha La Anyane was convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol less safe and other traffic offenses. During the traffic stop that led to her arrest, La Anyane was read the stat- utory implied-consent warning about submitting to a test of her blood or other bodily substance for alcohol. She consented to a blood test, and the results were used against her at trial.

On appeal, La Anyane argues that Georgia’s entire implied-

consent statutory scheme is unconstitutional on its face and as ap- plied to her. She contends that the implied-consent warning uncon- stitutionally coerces drivers to consent to a blood test by telling them, falsely, that their consent is required, and that their refusal can be offered against them at trial. She contends that because any consent obtained through the implied-consent warning is not free

and voluntary, the implied-consent statutory scheme unconstitu- tionally authorizes law enforcement officers to take drivers’ blood without a search warrant, valid consent, or any other exception to the warrant requirement. And she contends that the trial court made two evidentiary errors by (1) refusing to let her cross-examine an expert with a study about field sobriety tests and (2) allowing evidence about her blood alcohol content even though she was charged with DUI less safe and not DUI per se.

These claims fail. The implied-consent warning was not uncon-

stitutionally coercive as applied to La Anyane here: it did not tell her that her consent was “required,” as she contends, and its state- ment that a driver’s refusal to consent to a blood test can be used against her at trial has never been held unconstitutional or other- wise “false.” And La Anyane otherwise consented freely and volun- tarily to a test of her blood, so that search was authorized under the Fourth Amendment. Because La Anyane’s as-applied challenge to the implied-consent statutory scheme fails, she lacks standing to

bring her facial challenge on the basis that scheme authorizes war- rantless searches as a general matter. Finally, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in determining that La Anyane did not lay a proper foundation for the field study, or in determining that her blood alcohol content was relevant and not unfairly prejudicial in a prosecution for DUI less safe.

1. Background (a) Implied-Consent Statutory Scheme As in every state, driving under the influence of alcohol is a crime in Georgia. See OCGA § 40-6-391 (a) (1) & (5). To help enforce that prohibition, several of our statutes authorize police officers to request to test DUI suspects for the presence of intoxicants and al- low the results of those tests to be admitted as evidence at trial. These statutes, which are often referred to generally as the implied- consent statutory scheme, are what La Anyane challenges in this appeal.

The implied-consent statutory scheme declares that any driver on Georgia roads “shall be deemed to have given consent . . . to a

chemical test or tests of his or her blood, breath, urine, or other bod- ily substances for the purpose of determining the presence of alcohol or any other drug,” if the driver is arrested for DUI. OCGA § 40-5- 55 (a). These tests are administered “at the request of a law enforce- ment officer having reasonable grounds to believe” that the driver is under the influence. Id. The requesting officer is directed to “desig- nate which of the test or tests” — of blood, breath, urine, or other bodily substances — is administered, except that a blood test is re- quired if the driver has been involved in an accident resulting in serious injuries or fatalities. Id. The results of any tests are admis- sible against the driver at trial, see OCGA § 40-6-392 (a), and — subject to constitutional exceptions discussed further below — the defendant’s refusal to consent to testing of her “blood, breath, urine, or other bodily substance” is also admissible against her, OCGA § 40-6-392 (d).

Along with these substantive provisions, the implied-consent statutory scheme prescribes a verbal warning for law enforcement officers to read to drivers whom they suspect of driving under the

influence. See OCGA § 40-5-67.1 (b) (2). That implied-consent warn- ing essentially tells motorists about the substantive provisions dis- cussed above. It explains that a driver’s privilege of getting a Geor- gia driver’s license is “conditioned” on her “submitting” to “state ad- ministered chemical tests” of her blood or other bodily substances to determine if she is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The warn- ing further explains that, if the driver refuses to submit to a chemi- cal test, her driver’s license will be suspended for at least a year and her refusal “may be offered into evidence against [her] at trial.” OCGA § 40-5-67.1 (b) (2).1

1 The implied-consent warning reads in full:

The State of Georgia has conditioned your privilege to drive upon the highways of this state upon your submission to state administered chemical tests of your blood, breath, urine, or other bodily substances for the purpose of determining if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If you refuse this testing, your Georgia driver’s license or privilege to drive on the highways of this state will be suspended for a minimum period of one year. Your refusal to submit to blood or urine testing may be offered into evidence against you at trial. If you submit to testing and the results indicate an alcohol concentration of 0.08 grams or more, your Georgia driver’s license or privilege to drive on the highways of this state may be suspended for a minimum period of one year. After first submitting to the requested state tests, you are entitled to additional chemical tests of your blood, breath, urine, or other bodily substances at your own expense and from qualified personnel

(b) This Case Police stopped La Anyane for, among other things, failing to maintain her lane and not using her high-beams properly. During the traffic stop, officers noticed that her eyes looked “red” and “glassy,” her breath smelled of alcohol, her speech was slurred, and her shirt was stained with what appeared to be red wine. La Anyane stated that she had had one drink.

Officers began investigating whether La Anyane was driving under the influence of alcohol or another drug. They had her perform several field-sobriety exercises, including horizontal-gaze nystag- mus, walk and turn, and one-leg stand. La Anyane failed the exer- cises. Police then administered a preliminary breath test, which La Anyane also failed. At that point, the officers placed La Anyane un- der arrest.

Once La Anyane was under arrest, officers read her the statu-

tory implied-consent warning. La Anyane consented to have her

of your own choosing. Will you submit to the state administered chemical tests of your (designate which test)?

OCGA § 40-5-67.1 (b) (2).

blood drawn and tested. During the test, she asked, “What is this for,” and an officer responded that it was “part of [her] DUI process.” Apart from that question, La Anyane did not say or do anything to suggest she had changed her mind about submitting to the blood test or that she was doing so against her will.

The blood test revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.117 grams per 100 milliliters, which is above the legal limit of 0.08. See OCGA § 40-6-391 (a) (5). La Anyane was charged with failure to maintain lane, failure to dim lights, and DUI less safe, all misdemeanors. She pleaded not guilty.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

La Anyane v. State, 321 Ga. 312 (Ga. 2025).

321 Ga. 312 (La Anyane v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Ankur Vij v. State
Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2025
Christopher John Watters v. State
Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2025
State v. Dias
914 S.E.2d 291 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 2025)