### IN THE CO URT OF APPEALS OF TE NNE SS EE

AT NASHVILL E

Nov em be r 20 , 20 14 Ses si on

METRO POLI TAN GOVE RNMENT OF NASHVI LLE , ET AL. V. ROBERT

W. DONALDSO N, JR.

A p p e a l f r o m t h e C i r c u i t C o u r t f o r D a v i d s o n C o u n t y

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j e c t m a t t e r o r i n p e r s o n a m j u r i s d i c t i o n o v e r t h e m a t t e r

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G o v e r n m e n t o f N a s h v i l l e a n d D a v i d s o n C o u n t y l a c k e d s t a n d i n g t o b r i n g t h e a c t i o n

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, M e t r o p o l i t a n G o v e r n m e n t o f N a s h v i l l e a n d D a v i d s o n C o u n t y

.M E M O R A N D U M O P I N I O N 1

I

. F A C T U A L A N D P R O C E D U R A L B A C K G R O U N D

O n F e b r u a r y 2 8

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a i l i n g

t o s t o p a t a s t o p s i g n

. O f f i c e r D a r y l M o r t o n o f t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n N a s h v i l l e P o l i c e D e p a r t m e n t

i s s u e d M r

. D o n a l d s o n a t r a f f i c c i t a t i o n f

o r t h e u n l a w f

u l u s e o f a l i c e n s e p l a t e

, f a i l i n g t o

c h a n g e h i s a d d r e s s o n h i s d r i v e r ’ s l i c e n s e

, l a c k o f p r o o f o f i n s u r a n c e

, a n d r u n n i n g a s t o p s i g n

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O n M a y 2 2

, t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n G e n e r a l S e s s i o n s C o u r t h e l d a h e a r i n g o n t h e t r a f f i c

c i t a t i o n

. T h e c o u r t h e l d t h a t M r

. D o n a l d s o n r a n t h e b u s s t o p s i g n i n v i o l a t i o n o f M e t r o p o l i t a n

C o d e o f L a w s § 1 2

. 2 4

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. 0 0 f i n e ; t h e o t h e r c h a r g e s w e r e r e t i r e d

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M r

. D o n a l d s o n a p p e a l e d t o t h e C i r c u i t C o u r t

, w h i c h h e l d a b e n c h t r i a l o n N o v e m b e r

1 3

. A t t h e t r i a l

, O f

f i c e r M o r t o n w a s c a l l e d t o t e s t i f y a b o u t t h e o f

f e n s e

. F o l l o w i n g t h e

t e s t i m o n y o f O f

f i c e r M o r t o n

, M r

. D o n a l d s o n m o v e d t o r e t i r e t h e c i t a t i o n o n t h e g r o u n d t h a t

t h e c o u r t d i d n o t h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n o v e r t h e c a s e a n d t h a t t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n G o v e r n m e n t o f

N a s h v i l l e a n d D a v i d s o n C o u n t y ( “ M e t r o ” ) l a c k e d s t a n d i n g t o p r o s e c u t e t h e a c t i o n

. T h e c o u r t

d e n i e d t h e m o t i o n a n d p r o c e e d e d t o f i n d M r

. D o n a l d s o n g u i l t y o f r u n n i n g t h e s t o p s i g n

.

M r

. D o n a l d s o n a p p e a l s

, c o n t e n d i n g t h a t M e t r o l a c k e d s t a n d i n g t o b r i n g t h e a c t i o n

, a n d

t h a t t h e G e n e r a l S e s s i o n s a n d C i r c u i t C o u r t s l a c k e d s u b j e c t m a t t e r a n d i n p e r s o n a m

j u r i s d i c t i o n t o a d

j u d i c a t e t h e c a s e

.

I I

. D IS C U S S IO N

M r

. D o n a l d s o n ’ s p r e m i s e s t h a t M e t r o l a c k e d s t a n d i n g t o b r i n g t h e a c t i o n b e f o r e t h e

c o u r t b e c a u s e i t d i d n o t s u f f e r a n y d a m a g e s o r i n

j u r i e s

, a n d t h a t t h e l o w e r c o u r t s l a c k e d

s u b j e c t m a t t e r a n d i n p e r s o n a m j u r i s d i c t i o n

, a r e b a s e d o n a f u n d a m e n t a l m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g

o f t h e p r o c e d u r e a t h a n d

. S e c t i o n 2

. 0 1 ( 3 0 ) o f t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n C h a r t e r g r a n t s M e t r o t h e

a u t h o r i t y “ [ t ] o r e g u l a t e t h e o p e r a t i o n o f m o t o r v e h i c l e s a n d e x e r c i s e c o n t r o l o v e r a l l t r a f f i c

, i n c l u d i n g p a r k i n g

, u p o n o r a c r o s s t h e s t r e e t s

, r o a d s

, a l l e y s a n d w a l k w a y s o f t h e m e t r o p o l i t a n

g o v e r n m e n t

. ” M e t r o a l s o h a s t h e a u t h o r i t y t o i s s u e c i t a t i o n s f o r v i o l a t i o n s o f i t s t r a f

f i c l a w s

T enn . R. Ct . App. 10 s ta te s: 1

T his Cour t, wit h the con cur re nce of al l j u d ges par ti ci pat ing in the cas e, m ay af fi rm,

re verse or m o d i f

y t h e a c t ion s of the tr ia l cou rt by m emorand um opi nio n when a for m al

opi nio n woul d have no pre ce d e n t i al value. Wh en a cas e is dec ide d by m emorand um

opi nio n it sha ll be des ignat ed “M EMORANDUM OPI NI ON,” sha ll not be publ is hed

, and

sha ll not be ci te d or re li ed o n f or any re aso n i n an y unrel at ed c ase

.

2p u r s u a n t t o T e n n

. C o d e A n n

. § 7

- 3

- 5 0 1

. M o r e o v e r

, M e t r o p o l i c e o f f i c e r s h a v e a d u t y t o 2

e n f o r c e a l l t r a f

f i c l a w s a n d r e g u l a t i o n s o f M e t r o

, a n d a l l s t a t e l a w s a p p l i c a b l e t o t r a f f i c i n t h e

M e t r o a r e a

. M e t r o p o l i t a n C o d e o f L a w s § 1 2

. 0 8

. 0 5 0 ( A )

. O f f i c e r M o r t o n t e s t i f

i e d t h a t h e

o b s e r v e d M r

. D o n a l d s o n r u n t h e b u s s t o p s i g n

, a n d t h a t h e i s s u e d M r

. D o n a l d s o n a t r a f f i c

c i t a t i o n f o r v i o l a t i n g S e c t i o n 1 2

. 2 4

. 0 4 0

. T h e r e f o r e

, M e t r o h a d t h e a u t h o r i t y t o i s s u e t h e

t r a f f i c c i t a t i o n a n d p u r s u e e n f o r c e m e n t

.

M r

. D o n a l d s o n ’ s c o n t e n t i o n s t h a t t h e “ l o w e r c o u r t s ” l a c k e d s u b j e c t m a t t e r j u r i s d i c t i o n

b e c a u s e h e “ d i d n o t c o n s e n t t o d o b u s i n e s s w i t h [ M e t r o ] ” a n d i n p e r s o n a m j u r i s d i c t i o n 3

b e c a u s e t h e c i t a t i o n d i d n o t i n c l u d e t h e “ t i m e a n d p l a c e ” a t w h i c h h e w a s t o a p p e a r i n c o u r t 4

T enn . Code Ann. § 7- 3- 501 pro vides : 2

Wh en any per son viola te s an ord ina nce

, la w or re gulat ion of a m et rop oli ta n gov er nm ent

, any

pol ic e o r p eac e off

ic er of suc h m et rop oli ta n gov er nm ent or any employee of the

m et rop oli ta n gov er nm ent aut hor ized to enf orc e suc h ord ina nce

, la w or re gulat ion

, in whos e

p r ese nce the viola ti on is comm it te d or who det er m ine s af te r inves ti gatio n tha t the re i s

pro bab le ca use suc h a viola ti on h as bee n co m m it te d, may is sue a cit at ion or ci vil warr ant

, giv ing a cop y to the viola tor

, sho wing the ord ina nce

, la w or re gulat ion viola te d and the dat e,

ti m e a nd p la ce when the viola tor is to app ear in cou rt

.

I n his bri ef

, Mr

. Donal dso n ar gues tha t the l o w e r c o u rt s ar e pre cl ude d fr om exe rc is ing sub j ect 3

m at te r j uri sdi ct ion over the tr af fi c ci ta ti on bec aus e M et ro is a “ domesti c no n- pro fi t c orp ora ti on r egist er ed

wit h the Sec re ta ry of the ST AT E OF T ENNESSEE” and tha t he did not “co nse nt to do bus ine ss” wit h Me tr o.

Mr

. Donal dso n m is unde rs ta nds the sou rc e of Me tr o’s aut hor it y to is sue a tr af fi c ci ta ti on. Me tr o’s aut hor it y

doe s not ar is e out of a con tr act ual a gr e e me n t wit h it s ci ti zens, but

, ra the r, fr om the la ws of the Sta te of

T enn ess ee.

At the bot tom of the tr af

fi c ci ta ti on, the fol lowi ng inf ormati on is pri nte d, to whic h Mr

. Donal dso n 4

af fi xed hi s s ignat ure :

Upon the is sua nce of thi s ci ta ti on you sho uld r e c ei ve a Davidso n Count y T ra ff ic Cour t

I nfo rmati on Sh eet exp la ini ng how to re spo nd t o t his ci ta ti on.

***

I her eby acknowl edge rece ipt of a copy of thi s cit at ion . I al so waive formal iss uan ce and

ser vice of a war ra nt upon m e. I u n der st and tha t I m ust re spo nd to thi s ci ta ti on wit h a

des ignat ed for m of ac ti on wit hin 45 days fr om the is sua nce dat e of thi s ci ta ti on. Fai lur e

to do so wil l re sul t in a Def aul t J udgm ent cau si ng sus pen si on o f d r i ver ’s li cen se and

is sua nce of

exe cut ion

.

T he t ra ff ic ci ta ti on r equ ir es the viola tor to re spo nd with in 45 days, whic h m ay be done by paying the fi ne,

p l e a d i n g n o t guilt y and re que st ing a cou rt dat e, or re giste ri ng for tr af fi c sch ool

. Me tr o has implemente d

(c ont inu ed.. .)

-3-a r e w i t h o u t m e r i t

. M r

. D o n a l d s o n s u b j e c t e d h i m s e l f t o t h e l a w s o f M e t r o b y o p e r a t i n g a

v e h i c l e w i t h i n t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n G o v e r n m e n t

. S e e M e t r o p o l i t a n C o d e o f L a w s § 1 2

. 0 8

. 0 1 0

( “ I t i s u n l a w f

u l f o r a n y p e r s o n t o d o a n y a c t f o r b i d d e n

, o r f

a i l t o p e r f

o r m a n y a c t r e q u i r e d

, i n t h i s t i t l e

. ” )

.

I I I

. C O N C L U S IO N

F o r t h e f o r e g o i n g r e a s o n s

, t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e t r i a l c o u r t i s a f f i r m e d

.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ R I C H A R D H

. D I N K I N S

, J U D G E

(... con ti nue d) 4

T enn

. Code Ann. § 7- 3- 501 by al lowi ng an al le ged viola tor to cho se one of tho se thr ee opt ion s. T he ci ta ti on

cl ear ly st at es tha t the viola tor m ust re spo nd w i t h in 45 days; the re cor d ind ic at es tha t Mr

. Donal dso n fi le d

an “Appl ic at ion For m ” in whic h he st at ed he was “I nnoc ent Unti l Pro ven Guil ty” and re que st ed a cou rt dat e.

T his pr oce dur e c om

pli es wit h t he s ta tut e; ac cor din gly , th e c it at ion was not def ect ive.

-4-