Gurion Legal Recent Case Victories

DUI reduced to reckless driving

We were retained late in the case because our client was unhappy with his prior attorney. We were able to get the case dismissed entirely by highlighting exculpatory evidence and pushing the state to the brink of trial.

Our client was caught going over 100 mph on the freeway. By highlighting his age, good character, and other mitigation, we convinced the court to allow him to complete defensive driving school, leading to dismissal.

Our client was charged with causing a serious physical injury while committing a traffic violation, which is a misdemeanor, in the Mesa Municipal Court. Allegedly, our client turned left into a parking lot when they hit a person driving a scooter the wrong way on the sidewalk. Our investigation led to a number of helpful facts, like finding out that the victim’s scooter was actually considered a motorcycle; that his license was suspended; and that he was required to have an ignition interlock device installed on any vehicle he drove – which he did not have. Additionally, we discovered that the State charged our client with committing the incorrect traffic violation. We pushed the case forward, convinced of our client’s innocence, and were able to obtain a dismissal on the day of trial.

Our client was charged with an extreme DUI and due to the State’s intransigence was forced to go to trial. After a motion to preclude a piece of evidence was granted by the Court, we were able to negotiate a reckless driving plea, despite the fact that we were in the middle of trial. Our client went from having to serve 30 days in jail if convicted and having a driver’s license suspension to 0 days in jail and no suspension.

Our client was wrongfully charged with possessing methamphetamine. The person who was arrested stole our client’s identity and provided her name to the officers. As the case took place during the COVID lockdown the arrested person was never appropriately booked. We were able to obtain body camera footage and a fingerprint showing definitively that our client was not the person arrested and were able to secure a dismissal of the case.

Our client was charged with two domestic violence offenses: criminal damage and disorderly conduct. After difficult negotiations with the State, we were able to obtain a diversion outcome wherein he only had to pay a fee – no classes required. After paying the small fee, our client’s case was dismissed.

In what was our firm’s oldest active case, we were able to get out client’s DUI and Criminal Speeding charges reduced to Reckless Driving – it only took 900 days! Our client was charged with driving under the influence and criminal speeding almost exactly a month before the COVID lockdowns began. His case was continued multiple times, and we had gone to trial once on it only to get a mistrial during the first hour of trial. Finally, after long negotiations pointing out the substantial issues in the State’s case, we were able to get what we asked for from the start – reckless driving; our client has to serve no jail and will not be required to have his license suspended or have an interlock device.

Our client was charged with driving under the influence 6 years ago. Unfortunately, he was never served with his court paperwork and did not know that he had a warrant for his arrest for failing to show up until it came up in a background check. We quickly quashed the bench warrant and began our investigation. After threatening to file a motion to dismiss for a speedy trial violation and finding that many of the witnesses had since retired from law enforcement, we were able to get our client’s case dismissed in full.

Vulnerable Adult Abuse: our client was charged with vulnerable adult abuse for inappropriate touching of an octogenarian. We saw from the beginning that the case was without merit, and after months of work we convinced the State to dismiss the ridiculous allegations.

Our client was arrested in a popular Tempe bar for allegedly attacking one of the bar’s staff members. Through a thorough investigation we were able to find substantial weaknesses in the allegations and obtained a dismissal for our client.

Our client was charged with 21 felony counts related to fraudulently stealing a prescription pad and writing and filling prescriptions of pain killers.

Through careful negotiation, including building mitigation and pointing out issues in the State’s case, we were able to get an outstanding result for our client – two misdemeanors with a year of probation and no felony convictions.

Our client was charged with multiple serious felonies carrying mandatory prison time for him, including Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Leaving the Scene of an Accident involving Serious Physical Injury.

We collected substantial mitigation about our client and found serious issues with the way that the evidence was handled after our client’s arrest, and was able to resolve this prison-mandatory case into a plea agreement that gave our client unsupervised probation without a single day in jail.

Our client was charged with one count of assault and one count of disorderly conduct, both alleged to involve domestic violence, stemming from events occurring 19 years prior.  Unfortunately for our client, he was charged after moving from the State and had no idea that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

Once we were retained, we were able to quickly quash the warrant, appear on his behalf, and convince the State to dismiss the matter outright with no plea of guilt or diversion program because of post-accusation delay.

Our client, who had multiple prior felony convictions, was facing mandatory prison time if convicted at trial and a prison time plea offer.  He was accused of choking his then-girlfriend, a class 4 felony.

After reviewing the facts of the case, including a significant delay in prosecuting the case after it was charged, we filed a Motion to Dismiss for Post-Indictment Delay.  We argued that the State’s failure to speedily prosecute their case prejudiced our client’s ability to defend himself, in violation of his Arizona and United States Constitutional Rights.

After reviewing our filings, the State did not bother to file a response and dismissed our client’s case.

Our client was accused of fraudulently obtaining food stamp benefits and other DES benefits from the State. Our client was charged with multiple serious felony charges relating to this offense. After our review of the case, we were able to negotiate a settlement with the State by providing substantial mitigation and pointing out serious flaws with the State’s case.

In doing so, we were able to secure an agreement for the dismissal of all charges in return for repayment of the allegedly unlawfully obtained money. Our client was able to pay the amount back and the case was dismissed.

Our client was charged with a super extreme DUI, with a BAC above .20.  While we were in the process of investigating the case, our client unfortunately was arrested again for a super-extreme DUI involving a car accident.

If a person is convicted of a second super-extreme DUI within 7 years, they face a mandatory jail sentence of 180 days.  We earnestly began working up our client’s second case and pointed out several serious legal issues, including potential drinking after the stop.  We were able to get our client’s first case reduced to an Extreme DUI, and the second case reduced to a second REGULAR DUI, instead of a second super extreme.

Instead of serving more than 180 days in jail on both of the cases, our client instead served only 26 days, with some home detention to follow.

Our client was charged with a super-extreme DUI after he crashed into the median next to a convenience store.  The manager of the store claimed to have been able to place our client in the car, and the officers’ field sobriety tests suggested severe impairment.  However, sometimes things are not as they seem.

We were able to preclude the store manager’s testimony.  As a result, proving that our client was in actual physical control of the car would have been extremely difficult for the State.  By doing so we were able to force the State to offer a Reckless Driving plea, which resulted in our client serving not a single day in jail and not facing a requirement for an ignition interlock device.

Our client was charged with a super extreme DUI out of the Scottsdale City Court.  Initially, the prosecutor took a hard line and offered her a plea to the charge.  We investigated the case, and found evidence that our client was actually not the driver of the car, but rather her friend was.

Moreover, the only person who claimed to have seen our client drive had a checkered past and never came close enough to our client to speak to her.  We set the matter for trial, and the week before the trial got an offer for reckless driving.  It took time, but we were able to get a .230 super extreme DUI reduced to a reckless driving conviction.

Our client was accused of possessing methamphetamine over 20 years ago in Gila County.  He was unaware of the charges, and so had a warrant for his arrest for many years.

While conducting a background check on himself, he became aware of the warrant.  We immediately had his warrant quashed and began pressing the State.  Unfortunately for the State, the only evidence connecting our client to the drugs was a urine test, showing that he had previously used illicit drugs.

Because a urine test cannot accurately show when or where drugs were ingested, and because of the age of the case, we convinced the prosecutor to dismiss the case outright, and our client was able to return to the life he had spent 20 years building.

Our client was arrested in Phoenix on suspicion of Extreme DUI.  During his processing, he attempted to speak to an attorney to receive advice on how he should handle the State’s request for a blood sample.  The officers on the scene, who were inexperienced with handling DUIs, did not give him sufficient time to speak to his attorney. The officers gave only a few minutes and forcibly made him hang up the call prior to obtaining their blood draw.

We filed a motion to suppress for the State’s violation of our client’s Right to Counsel, alleging that our client’s Arizona and the United States Constitutional Rights were violated.  After a 4-hour evidentiary hearing we prevailed, and the Court suppressed the blood evidence, meaning it could not be used.  As the State no longer had evidence to use, they dismissed the case.

Our client was charged with Disorderly Conduct, a domestic violence offense, for a loud argument that he had with his girlfriend in his apartment complex.  We immediately began working up the case and rejected the State’s plea offer.

On the day of trial, realizing that they could not win the case, the State dismissed the matter.

Our client admittedly had a lead foot.  While driving on the I-8 towards Yuma, he allegedly drove over 105 mph.  To make matters worse, he was ineligible for driving school.  When he represented himself, the State had only offered pleas to criminal speeding.

When we made our appearance in the case we immediately began our investigation and found that the arresting officer had made several mistakes in his paperwork, including writing down different speeds, suggesting that he had cut and pasted his report.  With that information, we negotiated with the State and were able to get the criminal case reduced to a civil traffic ticket and a fine.

Our client was charged with causing a serious physical injury while committing a traffic violation, which is a misdemeanor, in the Mesa Municipal Court.  Allegedly, our client turned left into a parking lot when they hit a person driving a scooter the wrong way on the sidewalk.

Our investigation led to a number of helpful facts, like finding out that the victim’s scooter was actually considered a motorcycle; that his license was suspended; and that he was required to have an ignition interlock device installed on any vehicle he drove – which he did not have.

Additionally, we discovered that the State charged our client with committing the incorrect traffic violation.  We pushed the case forward, convinced of our client’s innocence, and were able to obtain a dismissal on the day of trial.