State Must Obtain Warrant Before Requiring Alcohol Blood Tests at Hospital - DUI News - 4/28/2016

State Must Obtain Warrant Before Requiring Alcohol Blood Tests at Hospital - DUI News - 4/28/2016

The Sixth District holds that when hospitals conduct blood-alcohol tests at the request of the police, and the tests are not performed for medical purposes, warrant protections still apply even when the police requested the results pursuant to R.C. 2317.022.

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Mistake of Law is No Excuse, Unless You Are the Police - DUI News - 4/22/2016

Mistake of Law is No Excuse, Unless You Are the Police - DUI News - 4/22/2016

The Fifth District held that an officer's mistaken belief that stopping prior to a stop sign was a violation was an objectively reasonable belief, and therefore the resulting traffic stop was based on sufficient reasonable suspicion.

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Am I my brother's keeper? - Unemployment News - 4/19/2016

Am I my brother's keeper? - Unemployment News - 4/19/2016

Company found to have just cause to terminate its president when he is absent from work due to a heart attack and other medical concerns, when he did not turn in medical documentation even though he was never requested to do so by his brother, the vice-president.

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Motorcycle Passenger Turn Signals Not Good Enough - DUI Appeals - 4/18/2016

Motorcycle Passenger Turn Signals Not Good Enough - DUI Appeals - 4/18/2016

Traffic stop of motorcycles for failure to give turn signals OK, even if officers cannot see whether hand signals were given? Fifth District says yes, at least when the defendant reports the hand signals were given by a passenger.

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Ohio Supreme Court Settles Habitual OVI Offender Sentencing - DUI Appeals Reports - 4/15/2016

Ohio Supreme Court affirms the OVI Habitual Offender Specification found in the R.C. 2941.1413.

State v. Klembus, 2016 Ohio 1092 (2016).

http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2016/2016-Ohio-1092.pdf

March 22, 2016

Klembus was sentenced to one year for a Fourth Degree Felony OVI and one year for the repeat-OVI specification, to be served consecutively.  He appealed, and the Eighth District agreed, holding that the repeat OVI offender specification violated equal protection because OVI penalty and the specification require identical proof yet impose different penalties.  Subsequently, the First, Second, Third, Eleventh, and Twelfth Districts rejected the Eighth District opinion.

The Ohio Supreme Court reversed the Eighth District, and in upholding the specification reasoned, "The possibility of longer prison sentences for those who continue to violate Ohio's OVI statute is rationally related to the state's legitimate interest in punishing offenders and protecting the public from the dangers of impaired driving."

If you are interested in criminal defense services, or have been charged with an OVI, consider reviewing our DUI Defense Services at http://SivinskiLegal.com

Hospital Blood Tests Can Be Used for OVIs When They Do Not Substantially Comply with ODH Regulations - DUI Appeals Reports - 4/14/2016

Hospital Blood Tests Can Be Used for OVIs When They Do Not Substantially Comply with ODH Regulations - DUI Appeals Reports - 4/14/2016

Third District holds that an individual receiving treatment after an auto accident can refuse a blood alcohol test by the police, but the health care provider's own blood test used for treatment will still be admissible even if it does not substantially comply with ODH regulations like the police test would have to.

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