Manka v. Karns

147 N.W.2d 298, 33 Wis. 2d 356, 1967 Wisc. LEXIS 1145
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 3, 1967
StatusPublished

This text of 147 N.W.2d 298 (Manka v. Karns) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Manka v. Karns, 147 N.W.2d 298, 33 Wis. 2d 356, 1967 Wisc. LEXIS 1145 (Wis. 1967).

Opinions

Wilkie, J.

A single, though complex, issue is presented by this appeal, which may be stated as follows: May the commissioner of the Motor Vehicle Department assess 12 demerit points against a person’s driving record and order a revocation of that person’s operating privileges when that person is convicted of a speeding offense carrying a penalty of six demerit points, which offense occurred during a period determined by the commissioner as one during which that person’s operating privileges were already revoked but where a court had not yet finally determined that the defendant was guilty of driving while such operating privileges were revoked?

The facts may be boiled down into two stages:

First, Manka, who held no Wisconsin driver’s license but an overseas United States army license, was twice arrested for speeding and on conviction he was notified by the Motor Vehicle Department that he was charged with a total of nine demerit points. After he was issued a temporary driver’s instruction permit his driving privileges were revoked by the Motor Vehicle Department (Manka having been found guilty of a third speeding charge), but the policeman agent was ordered to and did pick up only his temporary instruction permit, Manka having been issued a permanent driver’s license in the meantime. Manka was arrested for the fourth time for speeding and charged with both speeding and driving after revocation of his license. After some delay Manka was found guilty on both counts in the county court of Ozaukee county. Thereupon, the Motor Vehicle Department ordered another revocation of his license based on his driving while his license had been revoked.

The second stage commenced with the initiation of judicial review proceedings before the circuit court for [362]*362Milwaukee county; Manka disputed that his driver’s license was revoked at the time of the final speeding incident. The county court of Ozaukee county vacated its order of conviction for driving after revocation of license and ordered a new trial on that charge. In the meantime, the commissioner modified his revocation order basing the revocation not on the driving while revoked, but on his power to revoke the license on the basis of a conviction for the speeding charge occurring during a period in which he considered Manka’s driving privileges had been revoked.

The case of Goodman v. Karns 2 is closely parallel to the case at bar. In Goodman, on November 17, 1964, appellant had his operating privileges revoked for two months because he had accumulated 12 points within a one-year period. Goodman was notified that he would not be eligible for reinstatement of his driving privileges until January 17,1965. Reinstatement was not automatic, however, in that Goodman had to prove financial responsibility and pass the driver’s examination first.

On January 30, 1965, Goodman was charged with driving without a driver’s license, although he originally was charged with operating a motor vehicle after revocation. Goodman’s license was not reinstated until February 12th. On February 24th Goodman was convicted of the charge of driving without a driver’s license. Thereupon, the Motor Vehicle Department first assessed Goodman four points for this violation, but subsequently concluded that 12 points should have been assessed, essentially because the conviction was prima facie evidence of operation of a motor vehicle after revocation.

Goodman’s license was revoked for a one-year period and Goodman sought review. The Motor Vehicle Department stated that the authority for its actions was based on sec. 343.32 (2), Stats., and MVD 11.03 (14) (c), 5 [363]*363Wis. Adm. Code. The trial court dismissed, but this court reversed with directions to vacate the commissioner’s order of revocation. The basis of this court’s opinion was that 12 points were assessed for an offense which the commissioner’s order of revocation refers to as “no driver’s license” which is a four-point violation pursuant to the regulations of the Motor Vehicle Department.3

In Goodman the commissioner contended that the records of the Motor Vehicle Department conclusively established that Mr. Goodman was driving after his driving privileges had been revoked and, therefore, it was within the commissioner’s discretion to treat the offense as a 12-point violation. This court rejected this contention, stating:

“Counsel for the commissioner acknowledged at the oral argument before this court that the commissioner did not revoke Mr. Goodman’s license under the broad discretionary power which he is given by sec. 343.32 (2), Stats., to revoke the license of one who is ‘an habitually reckless or negligent operator.’ Instead, the commissioner has relied upon the point schedule contained in regulation MVD 11.03. While this regulation grows out of the commissioner’s discretionary power under sec. 343.32 (2), it purports to affix point values for various types of convictions. In sec. (14) (c) of this regulation, 12 points are assessed for a conviction for operating a motor vehicle while one’s operating privilege is revoked.
“While the foregoing regulation authorizes the commissioner to assess points based upon a conviction, it surely does not authorize the assessment of points in contradiction of a conviction. In the instant case, the commissioner assessed points on the basis of an offense which was more serious than that for which the driver was actually convicted; this represents administrative action in direct contravention of a judicial judgment. The administrative action is therefore invalid and must be set aside.” 4

[364]*364The court concluded:

“In our opinion, the commissioner was not free to disregard the court’s judgment. If the judgment were deemed incorrect, there should have been a direct challenge to it either by a motion for rehearing or by appeal. The commissioner was not entitled to ignore it or to decide administratively that it was incorrect.” 5

Once a determination is made by the courts as to the type or nature of the motor vehicle violation, the Motor Vehicle Department can apply standards to the violations according to their seriousness and based on the court’s determination. The Motor Vehicle Department may not take judicial action by assigning a point value to a violation different than that called for by the point schedule, even if such a point assessment appears to be warranted by its records.

The similarities of Goodman and the case at bar are apparent. In both cases defendants were convicted of an offense which did not require a mandatory or discretionary revocation. In both cases the commissioner revoked the license of defendants by relying on a violation of the state traffic laws of which defendant was not convicted at trial. In effect, since the driving-while-revoked charge is still suspended in the courts, in the case at bar the commissioner has raised the severity of a speeding conviction to a 12-point violation requiring a revocation. The basis of this action was that the commissioner’s records showed that this speeding conviction occurred during a period when the defendant’s license was revoked, thereby establishing, prima fade, that defendant was operating while his license was revoked. The Goodman Case

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Related

Goodman v. Karns
138 N.W.2d 276 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1965)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
147 N.W.2d 298, 33 Wis. 2d 356, 1967 Wisc. LEXIS 1145, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/manka-v-karns-wis-1967.