Phipps v. Schaffner

505 S.W.2d 89, 1974 Mo. LEXIS 549
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedFebruary 11, 1974
DocketNo. 57526
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 505 S.W.2d 89 (Phipps v. Schaffner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Phipps v. Schaffner, 505 S.W.2d 89, 1974 Mo. LEXIS 549 (Mo. 1974).

Opinion

HOLMAN, Judge.

The Director of Revenue suspended respondent’s driver’s license for 90 days beginning April 28, 1971. The respondent appealed to the circuit court pursuant to § [90]*90302.311,1 and that court immediately entered a stay order. Upon a hearing the trial court set aside the suspension and also ordered that the director reduce the points assessed against respondent’s operator’s license to zero as of July 14, 1970, the date he received a reinstated operator’s license. The director has appealed. We have jurisdiction because the appeal was taken prior to January 1, 1972, and a state officer is a party. Mo.Const., Art. V, § 3, V.A.M.S. McIntyre v. David, 431 S.W.2d 216 (Mo. 1968). We reverse and remand with directions.

The trial judge, in remarks at the time of his decision, stated, “Don, you’ve got a horrible driving record here.” That record is as follows:

2/15/66 Conviction
10/29/66 Conviction
11/ 3/66 Conviction <Nl
12/13/66 Conviction CO
12/20/66 Convicton CO
1/25/67 Warning
2/ 6/67 Revocation
5/ 4/67 Conviction
6/21/67 Revocation
7/14/70 Reinstated
3/25/71 Conviction
4/28/71 Suspension in issue

Section 302.302 provides for the point system by which a certain number of points are assessed against chauffeurs’ or operators’ licenses for certain designated traffic violations. Section 302.304, as it existed at all times here in question (it has since been re-enacted), provided that the director should “ * * * (2) Suspend the operating privileges of any person whose driving record shows he had obtained or accumulated eight points in eighteen months. The time of suspension shall not be less than thirty days nor more than ninety days; (3) Revoke the operating privileges of any person when his driving record shows he has obtained or accumulated twelve points m twelve months or eighteen points in twenty-four months or twenty-four points in thirty-six months; (4) Upon issuing a reinstated operator’s or chauffeur’s license, reduce the accumulated point value to six points.”

Section 302.306 provides that after points have been assessed there shall be a reduction as follows: “1. For the first full year of operation without conviction for a moving violation, the total accumulated point value charged against an operator or chauffeur shall be reduced by one-third. 2. For the second consecutive full year of operation without conviction of a moving violation, the remaining total accumulated point value charged against an operator or chauffeur shall be reduced by one-half. 3. For the third consecutive full year of operation without conviction for a moving violation, the remaining accumulated point value charged against an operator or chauffeur shall be withdrawn.”

Respondent testified that shortly before the revocation of June 20, 1967 became effective, he was inducted into the United States Army and remained in the army until his honorable discharge on April 14, 1970. He further testified that during his three years in the army he drove various army vehicles without any violation of any kind.

Respondent was entitled to obtain a reinstated driver’s license at any time after June 21, 1968, upon proper application, complying with the Safety Responsibility Law and passing the required examination. He did not obtain such until July 14, 1970. At that time the director followed the specific requirement of § 302.304(4) in reducing his accumulated point value to six points. Respondent contends that in accordance with § 302.306 the director should have reduced his points to zero at that time because of his safe driving record for three years while in the army. If that had been done the conviction of March 25, 1971, would not have provided [91]*91sufficient points to have warranted the suspension in issue. Since this appeal was taken, this court has expressly ruled this specific contention against a similar motorist in Holstein v. Schaffner, 498 S.W.2d 560 (Mo. 1973). We should, however, discuss the contention further because respondent has advanced the argument that the statutes heretofore mentioned deprive him of equal protection of the laws as guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He argues that another citizen operating a vehicle in Missouri without a violation would have obtained the benefit of § 302.306, but such has been denied him even though he was operating army vehicles without violation of law. This constitutional contention was not discussed in Holstein.

We rule this point contrary to respondent’s contention. To a large extent, Holstein has ruled this contention by its holding that in order for § 302.306 to be applicable it must be presupposed that a reinstated operator’s license with a six-point accumulated point total had been issued. Moreover, respondent had the same right to obtain a reinstated license at the end of the revocation period as any other citizen. He was home on leave in both 1968 and 1969. As a matter of fact, he did make application for a license in March 1969 but it was denied because he had not seen fit to comply with the Safety Responsibility Law. Absent compliance with that law he (or any other citizen) was required to wait for a period of three years from the date of revocation before a license could be obtained. Neither respondent nor any other Missouri citizen could have obtained point credit for periods of safe driving under § 302.306 without having first secured a Missouri operator’s license. It therefore necessarily follows that respondent was not denied equal protection of the laws.

In support of his contention respondent has cited Carrington v. Rash, 380 U.S. 89, 85 S.Ct. 775, 13 L.Ed.2d 675 (1965), McLaughlin v. Florida, 379 U.S. 184

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Related

United States v. Melman
398 F. Supp. 87 (E.D. Missouri, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
505 S.W.2d 89, 1974 Mo. LEXIS 549, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/phipps-v-schaffner-mo-1974.