People v. Coffin

712 N.E.2d 909, 305 Ill. App. 3d 595, 238 Ill. Dec. 805, 1999 Ill. App. LEXIS 376
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 3, 1999
Docket1-98-2885
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 712 N.E.2d 909 (People v. Coffin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Coffin, 712 N.E.2d 909, 305 Ill. App. 3d 595, 238 Ill. Dec. 805, 1999 Ill. App. LEXIS 376 (Ill. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

JUSTICE HOFFMAN

delivered the opinion of the court:

Following a car accident, the defendant, Christopher Coffin, was charged with failing to reduce the speed of his vehicle to avoid an accident (625 ILCS 5/11—601(a) (West 1996)) and driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) (625 ILCS 5/11—501(a)(2) (West Supp. 1997)). 1 Prior to trial, the defendant brought a motion in limine seeking to prevent the State from entering into evidence the result of a blood-alcohol content (BAG) test that was performed while he was receiving treatment in the emergency room at a hospital shortly after the accident occurred. The trial court granted his motion, and the State has appealed.

On September 17, 1997, the defendant caused a car accident when he rear-ended a vehicle that was stopped in traffic. Rolling Meadows police officer S. Sowinski arrived at the scene and observed that the defendant had ‘ ‘slurred/mumbled speech, glassy/bloodshot eyes and poor balance.” The defendant failed the field sobriety tests and refused to take a breathalyzer test. According to the record, the defendant was warned that his refusal to submit to a BAG test would result in the summary suspension of his driving privileges. The defendant was then arrested and taken to the police station.

While at the station, the defendant complained of abdominal pain. As a result, he was transported to the emergency room at a nearby hospital. In the emergency room, the defendant was handcuffed to a rail, and Officer Sowinski remained at his side while he received medical assistance. The officer again asked the defendant if he would submit to a breathalyzer, blood, or urine test, but the defendant refused. During the course of his medical treatment, the defendant consented to have his blood drawn. The result of the BAG test showed that the defendant’s blood-alcohol level was 0.116, well over the 0.080 legal limit at the time (625 ILCS 5/11—501 (West Supp. 1997)).

The Secretary of State subsequently sent the defendant a notice confirming the summary suspension of his driver’s license under section 11—501.1 of the Illinois Vehicle Code (Code) (625 ILCS 5/11— 501.1 (West Supp. 1997)). Nothing in the record indicates that the defendant sought to rescind the suspension of his license.

Prior to his DUI trial, the defendant brought a motion in limine seeking to preclude the State from introducing into evidence the result of the BÁC test that was taken at the hospital. At the hearing on his motion, the defendant argued that, under People v. Wisbrock, 223 Ill. App. 3d 173, 584 N.E.2d 513 (1991), the State was judicially estopped from introducing the blood test result into evidence because the State previously suspended his license for his refusal to take such a test. The defendant stated that his motion was based on the same arguments that were made by the defendant in People v. Schumacher, No. 92 MC 360083 (Schumacher), an unpublished memorandum decision previously rendered by the trial court. Schumacher was apparently a case with similar facts in which the trial court ruled that the State was judicially estopped from introducing the result of a BAG test at the defendant’s DUI trial. Although both parties had a copy of the transcript from the trial court proceedings in Schumacher, it is not contained in the record for our review on appeal.

The State argued that the judicial estoppel doctrine was inapplicable because it had not taken an inconsistent position in a prior legal proceeding. The State acknowledged that the defendant’s driver’s license was previously suspended for his refusal to take a BAG test, as required by section 11—501.1 of the Code (625 ILCS 5/11—501.1 (West Supp. 1997)). However, it claimed that the BAG test result, obtained while the defendant was receiving emergency medical treatment, was admissible as a business record under the exception to the hearsay rule contained in section 11—501.4 of the Code. 625 ILCS 5/11—501.4 (West 1996). The State argued that a defendant’s consent is irrelevant under section 11—501.4 (625 ILCS 5/11—501.4 (West 1996)), and therefore it was not seeking to take a contrary position at the defendant’s DUI prosecution.

The trial court granted the defendant’s motion, stating that all of the factors necessary to apply the doctrine of judicial estoppel had been established in this case. In particular, the trial court found that the State had taken two inconsistent positions by suspending the defendant’s license for refusing to take a BAG test, and then later attempting to use the result from the BAG test performed at the hospital to prosecute him for DUI. The State sought leave to file an interlocutory appeal pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 604(a)(1) (145 Ill. 2d R. 604(a)(1)), which the trial court granted, and a certificate of impairment is contained in the record.

The doctrine of judicial estoppel provides that when a party assumes a certain position in a legal proceeding, that party is estopped from assuming a contrary position in a subsequent legal proceeding. Department of Transportation v. Coe, 112 Ill. App. 3d 506, 509, 445 N.E.2d 506, 507-08 (1983). For the doctrine to apply, the following five factors must be present: (1) the party being estopped must have taken two positions; (2) the positions must have been taken in separate judicial or quasi-judicial administrative proceedings; (3) the party must have intended for the trier of fact to accept the truth of the facts alleged in support of the position; (4) the party must have succeeded in asserting the first position and received some benefit from it; and (5) the two positions must be inconsistent. Wisbrock, 223 Ill. App. 3d at 175, 584 N.E.2d at 515; Galena Park Home v. Krughoff, 183 Ill. App. 3d 206, 208, 538 N.E.2d 1366, 1367 (1989).

In this case, the trial court relied on Wisbrock, 223 Ill. App. 3d 173, 584 N.E.2d 513, as controlling authority when it granted the defendant’s motion. However, contrary to the trial court, we do not believe that Wisbrock is factually similar to the case at bar. In Wisbrock, 223 Ill. App. 3d at 174, 584 N.E.2d at 514, the defendant took a breathalyzer test, and the machine issued a result reading “ Ml deficient sample.’ ” The State considered providing a deficient sample equivalent to refusing to take a breathalyzer test and summarily suspended the defendant’s driver’s license pursuant to section 11—501.1 of the Code. Prior to trial, the defendant filed a motion in limine and argued that the State should not also be allowed to use the result from the breathalyzer test to prosecute him for DUI.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
712 N.E.2d 909, 305 Ill. App. 3d 595, 238 Ill. Dec. 805, 1999 Ill. App. LEXIS 376, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-coffin-illappct-1999.