Przymus v. Commissioner of Public Safety

488 N.W.2d 829, 1992 Minn. App. LEXIS 803, 1992 WL 182742
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedAugust 4, 1992
DocketC4-92-69
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 488 N.W.2d 829 (Przymus v. Commissioner of Public Safety) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Przymus v. Commissioner of Public Safety, 488 N.W.2d 829, 1992 Minn. App. LEXIS 803, 1992 WL 182742 (Mich. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

*831 OPINION

PETERSON, Judge.

John B. Przymus was arrested for driving while under the influence and his driver’s license was revoked pursuant to the implied consent law. He petitioned for judicial review. The trial court sustained the revocation. Przymus appeals.

FACTS

Appellant’s driver’s license was revoked pursuant to the implied consent law and appellant challenged the revocation. An implied consent hearing was held to consider appellant’s challenge. At the hearing, appellant stipulated that on August 8, 1991 he was properly stopped by Officer Christopher Vincent, that Vincent had probable cause to suspect that appellant was driving while under the influence of alcohol, and that the arrest was lawful. Testimony was presented on other issues.

Vincent testified that, after transporting appellant to the Carver county jail, he read appellant the implied consent advisory. Vincent made a telephone book and telephone available to appellant and asked him if he wished to contact an attorney. Vincent testified appellant said he did not want to call an attorney and he agreed to take a breath test.

Vincent observed appellant for 15-20 minutes, and did not see him belch, regurgitate, or put anything in his mouth. Vincent is not an Intoxilyzer operator, but, during his two years of law enforcement schooling and field training, he learned what he should look for before an Intoxi-lyzer test is administered.

Jailer Terry Malinowsky, a certified In-toxilyzer operator, testified he performed the Intoxilyzer test on appellant. All diagnostic, calibration and air blank tests were performed in the proper sequence and within acceptable limits. Appellant gave two breath samples, with a final reported value of .22.

Vincent testified appellant made one telephone call after the test, but never asked to consult with an attorney or for an additional test. Malinowsky could not recall if appellant requested either. Because the jailers would not hold a person whose test result is over .20, Vincent committed appellant to a detoxification center.

Appellant testified that after the officer read him the implied consent advisory, he said he would like to talk to an attorney. He was given a list of attorneys and a telephone to use. He called two numbers, but did not receive an answer. He wanted to try another number, but was told he could not delay the test and had to decide. Appellant agreed to take the test.

Appellant testified that when he saw the test result, he believed it was too high and requested an additional test, but the officers refused because they were sending him to detox. Appellant testified he also requested an additional test from the officer who transported him to the detox center and from personnel at the center, but his requests were denied.

Following the hearing, the parties submitted proposed findings. The trial court adopted the findings submitted by the Commissioner. John V. Przymus appeals.

ISSUES

1. Were the trial court findings clearly erroneous?

2. Did the trial court properly refuse to rescind the license revocation as a sanction for the Commissioner’s failure to comply with discovery requests?

3. Was appellant’s right to consult counsel of his own choosing prior to testing violated?

4. Was appellant denied the right to consult counsel after testing?

5. Was appellant denied the right to additional testing?

6. Was the Intoxilyzer test accurately and reliably administered?

ANALYSIS

I.

Appellant challenges the trial court’s finding of fact that appellant did not request an additional alcohol concentra *832 tion test after completing the test administered by Malinowsky. Findings of fact by the trial court will not be reversed unless clearly erroneous, and due regard must be given to the opportunity of the trial court to judge the credibility of the witnesses. Minn.R.Civ.P. 52.01.

The trial court specifically stated it found the officers’ testimony that appellant did not request an additional test more credible than appellant’s testimony that he did request an additional test. The trial court’s finding was supported by the record, and was not clearly erroneous.

The findings the Commissioner submitted to the trial court included assertions of facts about the issues to which appellant stipulated. The findings were adopted by the trial court. Appellant argues that this court should disapprove the trial court’s verbatim adoption of the Commissioner’s findings. See Sigurdson v. Isanti County, 408 N.W.2d 654, 657 (Minn.App.1987), pet. for rev. denied (Minn. Aug. 19, 1987).

In Sigurdson, this court held that adopting proposed findings did not constitute reversible error per se, and that the clearly erroneous standard remains the proper standard of review. Id. Because there was no basis in the record for the Commissioner’s proposed findings of fact regarding details related to the stop, probable cause, and the arrest, the trial court’s adoption of the findings was clearly erroneous. However, because there are no challenges on appeal as to the merits of the stipulated issues, the error is harmless.

II.

Appellant requested production of certain documents during the discovery process. The Commissioner ultimately produced the requested documents at the implied consent hearing. Because the documents were not produced until the hearing, the trial court offered appellant a continuance, but appellant chose to proceed. Appellant argues the trial court incorrectly concluded it did not have authority to rescind the driver’s license revocation as a sanction for the Commissioner’s failure to comply with discovery.

The choice of sanctions under Minn. R.Civ.P. 37.02(b) for failure to comply with discovery is within the trial court’s discretion. Chicago Greatwestern Office Condominium Ass’n v. Brooks, 427 N.W.2d 728, 730 (Minn.App.1988). While appellant was understandably frustrated by the delayed production of the documents, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in declining to order the revocation rescinded as a discovery sanction.

When the Commissioner failed to produce the requested documents, appellant did not move to compel discovery. See Minn.R.Civ.P. 37.01. The Commissioner did not fail to comply with a court order. See Minn.R.Civ.P. 41.02(a); Lampert Lumber Co. v. Joyce, 405 N.W.2d 423, 425 (Minn.1987). There was no showing of prejudice such that a substantial right or advantage was lost by failure to provide the documents earlier, particularly where appellant declined the offer of a continuance. See Sudheimer v. Sudheimer,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
488 N.W.2d 829, 1992 Minn. App. LEXIS 803, 1992 WL 182742, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/przymus-v-commissioner-of-public-safety-minnctapp-1992.