Nelson v. Lahm

992 N.W.2d 508, 32 Neb. Ct. App. 35
CourtNebraska Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 13, 2023
DocketA-22-669
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 992 N.W.2d 508 (Nelson v. Lahm) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nelson v. Lahm, 992 N.W.2d 508, 32 Neb. Ct. App. 35 (Neb. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

Nebraska Supreme Court Online Library www.nebraska.gov/apps-courts-epub/ 06/20/2023 09:06 AM CDT

- 35 - Nebraska Court of Appeals Advance Sheets 32 Nebraska Appellate Reports NELSON V. LAHM Cite as 32 Neb. App. 35

Michael Ryan Nelson, appellant, v. Rhonda K. Lahm, director, State of Nebraska, Department of Motor Vehicles, appellee. ___ N.W.2d ___

Filed June 13, 2023. No. A-22-669.

1. Administrative Law: Judgments: Appeal and Error. A judgment or final order rendered by a district court in a judicial review pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act may be reversed, vacated, or modified by an appellate court for errors appearing on the record. 2. ____: ____: ____. When reviewing an order of a district court under the Administrative Procedure Act for errors appearing on the record, the inquiry is whether the decision conforms to the law, is sup- ported by competent evidence, and is neither arbitrary, capricious, nor unreasonable. 3. Judgments: Appeal and Error. Whether a decision conforms to law is by definition a question of law. An appellate court determines questions of law independently of the lower court. 4. Administrative Law: Motor Vehicles: Licenses and Permits: Revocation: Police Officers and Sheriffs: Jurisdiction. In an admin- istrative license revocation proceeding, the sworn report of the arresting officer must, at a minimum, contain the information specified in the applicable statute in order to confer jurisdiction. 5. Administrative Law: Motor Vehicles: Licenses and Permits: Revocation: Evidence: Jurisdiction. In an administrative license revo- cation proceeding, the sworn report of the arresting officer is received into the record by the hearing officer as the jurisdictional document of the hearing, and upon receipt of the sworn report, the order of revoca- tion by the director of the Department of Motor Vehicles has prima facie validity. 6. Administrative Law: Motor Vehicles: Licenses and Permits: Revocation: Police Officers and Sheriffs. In an administrative - 36 - Nebraska Court of Appeals Advance Sheets 32 Nebraska Appellate Reports NELSON V. LAHM Cite as 32 Neb. App. 35

license revocation proceeding, the Department of Motor Vehicles makes a prima facie case for license revocation once it establishes that the arresting officer provided a sworn report containing the required recitations. 7. Administrative Law: Motor Vehicles: Licenses and Permits: Revocation: Police Officers and Sheriffs: Proof. Once the Department of Motor Vehicles makes a prima facie case for a license revocation, the burden of proof rests solely with the motorist, who must show by a preponderance of the evidence that the requirements of revocation are not satisfied. 8. Drunk Driving: Arrests: Proof. There are two components to the rea- sons for arrest which must be included in a sworn report: (1) driving or actual physical control of a motor vehicle and (2) doing so while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Appeal from the District Court for Sheridan County: Travis P. O’Gorman, Judge. Affirmed. Bell Island, of Island Law Office, P.C., L.L.O., for appellant. Douglas J. Peterson, Attorney General, and Darrin F. Schultz for appellee. Riedmann, Bishop, and Arterburn, Judges. Bishop, Judge. INTRODUCTION Michael Ryan Nelson sought judicial review of an order by the director of the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) revoking his driver’s license for 1 year for refusing to submit to a chemical test when arrested pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-6,197 (Reissue 2021) for driving or being in actual physical control of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcoholic liquor or drugs. The Sheridan County District Court affirmed the DMV’s decision. We affirm. BACKGROUND On April 30, 2022, Deputy Cameron Lehr with the Sheridan County sheriff’s office completed a “Sworn Report Notice of Revocation and Temporary License,” which was - 37 - Nebraska Court of Appeals Advance Sheets 32 Nebraska Appellate Reports NELSON V. LAHM Cite as 32 Neb. App. 35

subsequently received by the DMV on May 6, 2022. In the sworn report, “Nelson, Michael, R” is handwritten under the heading “Driver Name” and the “Date of Arrest” and “Time of Arrest (Military Time)” is shown as April 30 at “0137.” The form contains the following preprinted text: “The under- signed officer(s) hereby swear(s) that the above-named driver was arrested pursuant to Neb.Rev.Stat. §60-6,197 and the reasons for arrest are,” which is followed by a lined space for the officer to set forth the reasons. (Emphasis in original.) The following reasons were provided: “Nelson was observed inside of his vehicle on 200th Ln. near the intersection of 750th Rd. Upon Deputy Lehr’s arrival the individual had mumbled speech, bloodshot, watery eyes, and an odor of an alcoholic beverage. Nelson refused a PBT and DataMaster test.” A box is checked that indicates the driver was directed to submit to a chemical test and “[r]efused to submit to the chemical test.” (Emphasis omitted.) The form represents that a verbal notice of revocation was read to the driver. Under a heading titled “Notice of Administrative License Revocation (ALR),” it pro- vides that Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-498.01 (Reissue 2021) requires the Nebraska DMV to automatically revoke your operator’s license and/or operating privilege in this state if you were in operation or physical control of a motor vehicle and: (1) If you refused a chemical test for alcohol or drugs, or (2) If you submitted to a chemical test for alcohol and the test revealed an alco- hol concentration of 0.08 or more gram/100 ml blood or gram/210 L breath. Notice is hereby given that your motor vehicle opera- tor’s license . . . will be administratively revoked in 15 days for a period of: .... . . . One year, if you refused a chemical test for alco- hol or drugs. (Emphasis omitted.) The sworn report was signed by Deputy Lehr before a notary public. - 38 - Nebraska Court of Appeals Advance Sheets 32 Nebraska Appellate Reports NELSON V. LAHM Cite as 32 Neb. App. 35

On May 19, 2022, Nelson filed a “Petition for Administrative Hearing” with the DMV. On June 28, an informal Administrative License Revocation (ALR) hearing was held by teleconference. The hearing officer stated: Now, the purpose of the hearing today is to determine whether . . . Nelson’s operator’s license should be revoked based on the sworn report sent to the DMV by the arrest- ing officer. The burden of proof is on the appellant to show why his or her license should not be revoked. By statute, there’s only two issues I can consider: whether the officer had reason to believe the appellant was operating or in actual physical control of the vehicle while intoxi- cated and whether the appellant refused the chemical test or the test result was over .08 grams. Nelson was not present at the hearing, but his attorney appeared on his behalf. The hearing officer identified exhibit 2 as the sworn report, and Nelson’s attorney objected on the grounds that exhibit 2 was “insufficient to convey jurisdic- tion on the [DMV].” The hearing officer admitted the sworn report over Nelson’s objection.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
992 N.W.2d 508, 32 Neb. Ct. App. 35, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nelson-v-lahm-nebctapp-2023.