Holland v. Department of Motor Vehicles
Holland v. Department of Motor Vehicles
Opinion of the Court
Opinion
Sara Ann Holland appeals the judgment after her petition for peremptory writ of mandate to order the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to set aside the suspension of her driver’s license was denied. Enforcement of the order of suspension was stayed by this court pending final determination of the appeal.
Vehicle Code section 13353 states in pertinent part:
“(a) Any person who drives a motor vehicle upon a highway shall be deemed to have given his consent to a chemical test of his blood, breath or urine ... if lawfully arrested for any offense allegedly committed while the person was driving a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicating liquor. The test shall be incidental to a lawful arrest .... Such person shall be told that his failure to submit to or complete such a chemical test will result in the suspension of his privilege to operate a motor vehicle for a period of six months.
“The person arrested shall have the choice of whether the test shall be of his blood, breath or urine, and he shall be [so] advised .... If the person arrested ... is incapable ... of completing any chosen test, he shall then have the choice of submitting to and completing any of the remaining tests or test....
“Any person who is dead, unconscious, or otherwise in a condition rendering him incapable of refusal shall be deemed not to have withdrawn his consent and such tests may be administered whether or not such person is told that his failure to submit to or complete the test will result in the suspension of his privilege to operate a motor vehicle.
“(b) If any such person refuses the officer’s request to submit to, ... a chemical test, the department, upon receipt of the officer’s sworn statement that he had reasonable cause to believe such person had been driving a motor vehicle upon a highway while under the influence of intoxicating liquor and that the person had refused to submit to, or failed to complete, the test after being requested by the officer, shall suspend his privilege to operate a motor vehicle for a period of six months.” (Italics added.)
Holland suggests that because the trial court found her “refusal to consent to a chemical test was caused by her emotional condition which impaired her judgment” and because this disabling condition did not result from intoxication the DMV could not suspend her license. However, the statute hinges on whether there was reasonable cause to believe the driver was intoxicated. As noted above, there is substantial evidence here to support such a conclusion.
Holland seems to suggest that her disabling emotional condition made her incapable of refusing to take the test and she should not be deemed to have withdrawn her consent (Veh. Code, § 13353; see Bush v. Bright, 264 Cal.App.2d 788, 790 [71 Cal.Rptr. 123]). However, the trial court found Holland’s judgment was impaired and this caused her to refuse to take the test; there is no suggestion Holland was unable to refuse; in fact, the record shows she objected strongly to the officer’s request she submit to chemical tests.
The judgment is affirmed and the stay is dissolved.
Cologne, J., and Staniforth, J., concurred.
A petition for a rehearing was denied May 3, 1979, and appellant’s petition for a hearing by the Supreme Court was denied June 14, 1979.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.