City of Whitefish v. Curran
Annotate this Case
The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the municipal court sentencing Appellant for operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or greater (DUI per se), first offense, holding that the municipal court lawfully ordered Appellant to satisfy a $600 fine using his COVID-19 stimulus payment but erred in concluding that it did not have discretion to suspend the fine or to enforce the fine through an alternative method of payment.
Appellant pleaded guilty to an amended misdemeanor charge of first-offense DUI per se and agreed to the minimum $600 fine with the understanding that he would ask the court to consider his ability to pay the fine. The municipal court sentenced Appellant to ten days of incarceration and a $600 fine. Appellant appealed, arguing that the municipal court erred in imposing the fine despite his inability to pay. The district court affirmed. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the municipal court abused its discretion by not recognizing that it possessed the discretion to order Appellant to satisfy the mandatory fine via alternative methods to a dollar-for-dollar repayment plan ordered by the municipal court.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.