Source: http://masshardshiplicense.com/author/briansimoneau/page/5/
Timestamp: 2017-08-21 08:12:36
Document Index: 641101071

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 24', '§ 10', '§ 24', '§ 24', '§ 24', '§ 12']

Attorney Brian E. Simoneau, Author at Mass. Hardship Licenses - Page 5 of 9
Your Mass. Driving Record Controls DUI Suspension Length
I recently received this inquiry:
I had a driving while under the influence of alcohol (DWI) in 2005. I pled out and received a CWOF (continuance without a finding). I recently had a DWI Drug offense and I was given a CWOF and the 24D alternative disposition. I was given 1 year of probation and the judge said license loss of 45 days. The court documents show a 45 day license suspension. I just received a letter from the Massachusetts RMV stating that my license was suspended for 2 years. Does the judge’s decision override the RMV decision? Am I able to appeal this suspension? Also, am I able to get a hardship license?
The answer is that the 2 year suspension is valid. In Massachusetts, DUI suspensions are based on the number of offenses appearing in the official records of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles. Here, the record shows that there was a DUI drugs case from 2005 which resulted in an admission to sufficient facts, CWOF, and substance abuse program assignment. For OUI suspension calculation purposes, this counts as a conviction.
With the prior program assignment on the defendant’s record, the judge’s order of a 45 day license suspension was invalid and unenforceable as a matter of law. The judge decided to treat the defendant as a first offender. However, the Registry is not bound by this. Instead, the Registry looks at the defendant’s driving record and counts the number, timing, and disposition of the prior operating under the influence offenses. All priors count, whether they are for OUI drugs or liquor.
Here, the law says that when someone is assigned to a drug or alcohol education program after an admission to sufficient facts in a DUI case, and they have a prior assignment to a program, the proper length of the suspension is 2 years, regardless of whatever the judge might order or if the court overlooked the prior offense and treated the defendant as a first offender. All that matters is the person’s DUI history.
Also, all second offenders are ignition interlock required and will have a “Z” restriction on their driver’s license. This restriction will be in place during any hardship license period and for a minimum of 2 years after the person’s license is full reinstated and the Registry removes the “H” restriction.
Of course, for your driving record to control the length of your new suspension, it must be accurate. Sometimes the Registry’s records are inaccurate and they can be refuted with court and probation records. This is especially true when the Registry relies on old microfilmed records, many of which are illegible.
With a 2 year license revocation in place, the defendant is supposed to wait one (1) year prior to being considered for a hardship license. In cases where the need to drive is dire, it may be possible to get a hardship license without waiting a full year. However, 6-9 months must be served as a minimum.
Finally, because this defendant is a second offender with only a first offender G.L. c. 90 § 24D substance abuse education program, he cannot receive a hardship license from MassDOT and he will have to appear before the 3 member Division of Insurance Board of Appeal for a hardship license. The Registry’s appeals board has the statutory authority to order the Registry to grant hardship licenses even where the appellant might not meet the Registry’s requirements. These orders are issued only after a formal evidentiary Board of Appeal hearing and representation by competent legal counsel is recommended.
Hardship License Hours
The Massachusetts Registry and its Appeals Board grant hardship licenses to qualified individuals who have had their licenses revoked or suspended. These limited licenses are only valid for the twelve (12) hours specified thereon. The hours of a hardship license are established based on the applicant’s need to drive for verified school, medical, or work reasons. Hardship licenses are valid 7 days per week, for 12 hours per day. Once issued a hardship license, you can drive for any purpose, regardless of the reason for issuance. However, you cannot drive outside of your 12 hour period.
Driving in violation of an “H” restriction constitutes the criminal offense of driving without a valid license, in violation of G.L. c. 90 § 10, for which you can be arrested. Furthermore, evidence of operation outside of the 12 hour hardship license period may cause MassDOT or the Division of Insurance Board of Appeal to revoke your hardship license and impose the balance of your license suspension. If you have an ignition interlock device installed in your vehicle, the Registry will easily be able to see operation outside of the 12 hour period. Also, police cruisers equipped with automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) may also be able to detect driving outside of the hardship license hours.
If you have a legitimate need to change the hours of your hardship license, you can do so by contacting the Suspension Department of the Registry of Motor Vehicles or the Board of Appeal, depending on how your hardship license was issued. You will need to provide third party documentation of your change in hours. It is strongly recommended that you change your hardship hours, if your circumstances change, rather than risk being arrested for driving outside of the terms of your limited license.
Massachusetts Appeals Court Rules on Suspension Appeal Procedures
In the case of Commonwealth v. Bougiokas, which was decided on May 19, 2014, the Massachusetts Appeals Court announced the procedure to be followed to challenge the length of a license suspension for operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In the Bougiokas case, a repeat DUI offender, who happens to be an attorney, sought to appeal the length of his DUI license suspension through the court system. The Appeals Court ruled as follows:
As a result of a new trial on an OUI charge, Bougiokas’ license was suspended for one year, in addition to the 45 day suspension that he already “served” after receiving a § 24D disposition. He argued, before the Appeals Court, with considerable force that since this was still a first offense, the total length of his license suspension should have been limited to one year. The Appeals Court held that “this argument is not properly before us. The trial judge did not actually impose any license suspension. Instead, the defendant’s license suspension resulted by operation of law and administrative practice once the RMV received notice of the conviction. To the extent the defendant believed his license suspension should have been shorter, his potential recourse would have been to seek administrative relief from the RMV.”
This means that the proper course of action to challenge a license suspension is through the Registry of Motor Vehicles Hearing Process and, if necessary, the Board of Appeal of the Division of Insurance of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. The Board of Appeal has broad powers to reverse, modify, or annul any decision of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, including those decisions pertaining to license suspensions and revocations. The Appeals Board can also order MassDOT to grant hardship licenses in cases where the Registry initially refuses to so.
Appealing a license suspension or revocation in Massachusetts requires you to follow certain steps, the first of which is to obtain and thoroughly review your driver history. You should contact a lawyer who is routinely practices before the Registry of Motor Vehicles and its Board of Appeal. Challenging license suspensions has become a specialty due to the complexities of the applicable laws, regulations, and appeal procedures. Most Registry hearings can be held on a “walk-in” basis. However, winning these cases requires adequate case preparation. Having the required documentation and making the right legal argument is critical. Going before the Board of Appeal requires the filing of a written appeal and it takes approximately 2 months to get a hearing before the Appeals Board.
If you are interested in appealing a license suspension in Massachusetts, I invite you to contact me for a free consultation and review of your case.
National Driver Register (NDR) Suspensions
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 (MCSIA) requires all state Motor Vehicle Departments to verify a license holder or license applicant’s driving record through checks of both the National Driver Register (NDR) and Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS), prior to issuing or renewing a driver’s license or CDL. This means that you cannot have your license suspended in one state and apply for a license in another state to avoid the suspension or revocation.
Every state has to check the National Driver Register and it does not matter whether a particular state is a member of any driver’s license compact or non-resident violator compact. The National Driver Register (NDR) is a central computerized database which contains information regarding drivers whose license or right to operate a motor vehicle has been denied, revoked suspended, or canceled, for a valid reason, or those individuals who have been convicted of enumerated serious traffic-related violations, such as operating under the influence (OUI).
When a Motor Vehicle Department in any state, including the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, discovers that an individual has a status of “ineligible” or “blocked” in the NDR, the DMV cannot issue or renew the person’s driver’s license. This requires the driver to contact the state which placed the block on his or her NDR record to have it removed. Under this system, Motor Vehicle Departments can avoid granting driver’s licenses to those individuals whose records contain serious violations such as DUI or those who have lost their right to drive in other states.
If you have an NDR block on your record, you are entitled to be provided with the reference number and contact information for the agency which has placed the NDR block on your record. Sometimes these blocks are the product of identity theft, inaccurate information, or another disqualified individual having the same name and date of birth as you. Unfortunately, the Registry does not work on the honor system and it will be up to you to prove that the block is invalid.
If the NDR block is valid, you must work with the state where the block has originated to satisfy whatever outstanding obligations that you have in that state so that you can reinstate your right to operate there. There is nothing that the Massachusetts RMV can do for you until your record is clear in the NDR and the hold is removed by the motor vehicle agency that initiated it. You can usually remove an NDR block by completing the required alcohol or drug education programs, paying any outstanding fines and/or fees, producing an SR-22 insurance certificate, or simply serving the suspension time required.
Having the NDR hold removed does not mean that your license or right to operate in Massachusetts will be automatically reinstated. If you committed an out of state motor vehicle violation, such as DUI, while you were a Mass. resident or held a Mass. License, the RMV will impose a new suspension in addition to whatever suspension was imposed in the state where the violation occurred. This is because the RMV is required to treat out of state violations as if they had happened here in Massachusetts, for license suspension purposes. If this happens to you, it may be possible to get the suspension reduced or get a hardship license. However, this can only be done after the National Driver Register Indefinite Suspension has been cleared. Contact a lawyer for more information.
Massachusetts Administrative Per Se License Suspensions
If you were arrested for operating under the influence of liquor in Massachusetts and your blood alcohol level (BAL) was at or above .08, pursuant to G.L. c. 90 § 24(1)(f)(2), the Registry of Motor Vehicles will suspend your driver’s license or right to operate for a period of 30 days. This suspension is referred to as an administrative per se suspension or a breathalyzer failure suspension. Absolutely no hardship, work, or Cinderella license is authorized by law, unless your criminal case has been properly disposed of pursuant to G.L. c. 90 § 24D, which applies only to OUI 1st offenders or “2nd chance first offenders.”
You have a right to a hearing administrative per se suspensions in the district court where you were charged with DUI. You must appeal within ten (10) days of your suspension to the district court having jurisdiction where the DUI arrest occurred. The only question to be decided at this suspension appeal hearing is whether, after a reasonable period of time from your OUI arrest, a chemical analysis of your breath of blood showed a reading at or above .08 for a person over 21 years of age or older and a BAC reading at or above .02 for a person under 21 years of age.
Massachusetts administrative per se suspensions will expire by operation of law at the end of the 30 day suspension period or with the disposition of the criminal operating under the influence (DUI) case, whichever occurs first. In either case, prior to operating a motor vehicle, you must pay a reinstatement fee to the Registry of Motor Vehicles before your license is reactivated and your right to drive is reinstated.
It usually does not make sense to appeal these administrative per se suspensions to the Board of Appeal because by the time your Board of Appeal hearing is held, the 30 day suspension will be over with. If you lose your drunk driving case, you will have a new suspension based on your prior record.
Suspensions & Revocations for Allowing Improper Operation
The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles will penalize you for knowing allowing an unlicensed driver or someone whose license is suspended or revoked to operate your motor vehicle. Criminalized as part of Melanie’s Law, G.L. c. 90 § 12 makes it a criminal offense to allow an improper person to drive your motor vehicle. A conviction may result in the revocation of your vehicle’s registration and license plates as well as your driver’s license for up to one year.
The law also prohibits a vehicle’s owner from knowingly allowing someone whose license is ignition interlock restricted from driving a motor vehicle which is not equipped with a certified and functioning ignition interlock device.
Prior to the suspension of your driver’s license, right to operate, or automobile registration, the Registry is required to send you suspension notice and provide you with an opportunity to attend a Registry hearing. You can have legal representation at this hearing and it is usually a good idea to have a lawyer represent you.
In addition to the license suspensions and registration revocations which may follow a conviction for allowing an improper person to operate, a violation of this law can be used as evidence of negligence in a civil suit resulting from a personal injury or property damage accident. A conviction can constitute negligent entrustment of a motor vehicle.
If your driver’s license or right to operate a motor vehicle in Massachusetts is suspended or revoked for allowing improper operation, you cannot get a hardship license directly from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. However, there is a state agency known as the Board of Appeal which may issue a finding and order to the Registrar directing the issuance of a hardship license or early reinstatement.
Hire a Lawyer for your Board of Appeal Hearing
I recently spoke with a third offender who was denied a hardship license by the Registry of Motor Vehicles because he had not completed the required ninety (90) day in-patient alcohol treatment program. Since the Mass. RMV requires documented completion of the 3 month residential treatment program for those who have 8 year OUI 3rd offense revocations, the Registry denied this gentleman a hardship license and the hearings officer referred him to the Board of Appeal.
He filed the appeal on his own and called me because he thought that it might be better to hire a lawyer to represent him at his upcoming hardship license hearing. This was a smart move because if the Board denies you a hardship license, you may be required to serve your full suspension with no hardship relief. The issuance of a hardship license is considered “extraordinary relief” by the courts and the Board of Appeals has complete discretion when it comes to hardship licensing in Massachusetts. This is why it is very important to put together a comprehensive package of documents which demonstrate that you have a hardship and that any drug or alcohol issues have been brought under control.
I regularly get calls from people who have made the mistake of trying to represent themselves in hardship license appeals only to have gotten denied. When this happens, there is usually little that I can do and unless the Board grants them a re-apply date, they are forced to serve the balance of their suspensions, some of which are for 8 or 10 years.
Getting a hardship license often takes skill and considerable preparation. Those who are serious about it should hire a lawyer who regularly practices before the Registry and Board of Appeal. Undoubtedly, some individuals are granted hardship licenses without a lawyer. However, if you are serious about getting your driver’s license reinstated, hiring a lawyer can definitely increase your chances of success.
No Hardship License for Unpaid Financial Obligations
Hi. I lost my license 9 years ago due to unpaid excise tax for a car that was re-possessed the same year that I paid the first excise tax bill that was ever charged to the car. I moved to the state of Maine and had no idea I got charged four more years of excise tax for a car I never owed or drove past 2003. The bank that possessed the car didn’t return the license plates to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles and I was 18 years old at the time and did not know anything about it. Well, when I got pulled over and found out I have no license and got arrested. I went to the Town Hall which was charging me the excise tax and explained the situation. They said it was too late to appeal it. I have tried every route this is my last route to try. I have lost my Massachusetts driver’s license for extremely long time for something I didn’t even do wrong. I tried to get a letter from place I leased car from, but because I owed them $9000.00 they won’t send me the letter so I’m all out of options. Please help me. I’m getting my taxes back this week and I’m a mother of two and I have been out of work a long time due to not having a valid driver’s license and now my children and I are homeless please help. Can I appeal the suspension and have a shot at winning. I have lost so much over this never to mention thousands in court fines. I have met drunk drivers who have better luck then me. I had a great driving record until I turned 18 and wanted to buy a new car, it’s been ten years and I’m still paying for it please help me.
Unfortunately, there is not a thing that I, or the Registry of Motor Vehicles, can do to help you. In order to get your license reinstated, you must provide a release showing either that the outstanding obligations were satisfied or the matter has been resolved with the town which has placed a hold on your license. The RMV does not get involved in these matters and it will only release a hold with written documentation from the municipality which initiated the hold. There is nothing that I can do for you and you must deal with the town.