{"id":26925,"date":"2019-11-08T16:56:43","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T21:56:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/?p=26925"},"modified":"2019-11-08T16:56:43","modified_gmt":"2019-11-08T21:56:43","slug":"law-firms-sue-s-c-dmv-over-drivers-license-suspensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/law-firms-sue-s-c-dmv-over-drivers-license-suspensions\/","title":{"rendered":"Law firms sue S.C. DMV over driver&#8217;s license suspensions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.22&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px&#8221; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;0&#8243; next_background_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;3.25&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;2px|0px|8px|0px&#8221; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;0.0&#8243;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.47&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;0.0.0&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Featured Image caption&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; text_font=&#8221;|600|||||||&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;12px&#8221; text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; 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_address=&#8221;0.0.0.0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>A lawsuit filed by civil rights organizations alleges that the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles is unconstitutionally suspending driver\u2019s licenses of those who do not pay their traffic fines. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.22&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;2px|0px|37.9062px|0px&#8221; _i=&#8221;1&#8243; _address=&#8221;1&#8243; prev_background_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243;][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;2_3,1_3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.25&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;10px|||&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|18.9531px|0px&#8221; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0&#8243;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;2_3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.47&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.0&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;News Story&#8221; 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header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength=&#8221;header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93&#8243; header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length=&#8221;header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93&#8243; header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length=&#8221;header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93&#8243; header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength=&#8221;header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93&#8243; header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length=&#8221;header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93&#8243; header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length=&#8221;header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93&#8243; header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength=&#8221;header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93&#8243; header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length=&#8221;header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93&#8243; header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length=&#8221;header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93&#8243; header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength=&#8221;header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93&#8243; header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length=&#8221;header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93&#8243; header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length=&#8221;header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93&#8243; header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength=&#8221;header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>A civil rights activist said South Carolina is unfairly targeting poor and minority drivers by suspending their driver&#8217;s licenses when they fail to pay traffic tickets.<\/p>\n<p>Nusrat Jahan Choudhury, the American Civil Liberties Union deputy director of its Racial Justice Program<span style=\"color: #333333;\">,<\/span> said Wednesday the main problem is that South Carolina\u2019s Department of Motor Vehicles is failing to provide notice and a proper hearing to evaluate if someone is able to pay a fine before having his or her driver&#8217;s license suspended.<\/p>\n<p>On Oct. 31, ACLU teamed up with the Southern Poverty Law Center. South Carolina-based Appleseed Legal Justice Center and the Terrell Marshall Law Group PLLC \u00a0to file a class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Charleston on behalf of those drivers. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Linquista White, Emily Bellamy and Janice Carter, all South Carolina women who have had their licenses indefinitely suspended because they weren\u2019t able to pay traffic tickets.<\/p>\n<p>The team claims the automatic suspension of driver\u2019s licenses for failure to pay is a violation of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees under the U.S. Constitution the right to due process and equal protection of the law. This requires consideration of a person\u2019s ability to pay a fine before being punished, the groups argue.<\/p>\n<p>The legal team also claims the DMV\u2019s current policy punishes the poor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe result is that people who can\u2019t afford to pay their traffic tickets are unable to legally drive because they can\u2019t pay those traffic tickets and additional DMV fees to get their license\u2019s back,\u201d Choudhury said.\u00a0\u201cThis leaves people who aren\u2019t able to pay traffic tickets trapped in a cycle of poverty, job loss and struggle from which they are having trouble breaking free. That is wealth-based punishment and it violates the Constitution\u2019s promise of fairness and equal treatment of rich and poor in the legal system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In South Carolina, neither the DMV nor South Carolina&#8217;s Office of Motor Vehicle Hearings conduct hearings to take into account an individual\u2019s ability to pay. Individuals may request a hearing but must pay\u00a0<span style=\"color: #333333;\">the DMV<\/span> a $200 filing fee to have their case heard. The DMV did not return a phone call seeking comment on the lawsuit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit also claims that the process disproportionately harms black people.<\/p>\n<p>The 2017 U.S. Census estimates that African Americans make up 27% of South Carolina\u2019s population and non-Latino white people make up 64% of the population.<\/p>\n<p>As of May 31, 2019, the DMV&#8217;s data showed African Americans made up 48% \u00a0of all people with driver\u2019s licenses suspended indefinitely for failure to pay traffic tickets and fines. White South Carolinians made up 35%.<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, South Carolina was ranked second in the nation for most tickets issued per 10,000 citizens. There are currently over 100,000 South Carolinians with indefinitely suspended driver\u2019s licenses, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>Choudhury said she believes African Americans are more likely to suffer from having their driver\u2019s licenses indefinitely suspended, because of South Carolina&#8217;s high black poverty population.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe DMV\u2019s data reveals very troubling racial disparity. This is likely because black people in South Carolina suffer from poverty at a rate more than double that of white people,&#8221; Choudhury said.<\/p>\n<p>Choudhury also said that when the DMV takes someones license without taking into account their ability to pay the tickets, it leaves people living in poverty stuck in an endless cycle.<\/p>\n<p>In the lawsuit, the law firms are alleging that South Carolina\u2019s indefinite suspension of driver\u2019s licenses for nonpayment disproportionately harms black people because 11.2% \u00a0of white South Carolinians live below the poverty line compared to 26.7% \u00a0of African Americans and 28.6% Latino people in the state.<\/p>\n<p>According to the lawsuit, lawyers allege that black people are 3.4 times more likely than white people to have their driver\u2019s license indefinitely suspended.<\/p>\n<p>The ACLU and SPLC reached a settlement with Mississippi in 2017 in which the state agreed to reinstate more than 100,000 driver\u2019s licenses for non-payment of traffic tickets and to stop the suspension of licenses for failure to pay fines, according to the SPLC. The two also have ongoing lawsuits against the Alabama and the North Carolina DMV.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, the ACLU has seen California, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Virginia, Texas and the District of Columbia enact legislation to tackle the problem, Choudhury said. She said she believes licenses shouldn\u2019t be revoked for reasons unrelated to public safety.<\/p>\n<p>Choudhury said the lawsuits across the country are seeking to enforce the Constitution and demonstrate that taking people\u2019s driver\u2019s licenses away when they cannot pay money violates their rights to due process under the 14h Amendment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI emphasize that we all want a legal system that is fair and provides equal treatment to rich and poor. These are values embedded in the Constitution\u2019s promise of due process and equal protection of the law.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.47&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221; _i=&#8221;1&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1&#8243;][et_pb_image admin_label=&#8221;Image 1&#8243; src=&#8221;http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DLP5w_AP.jpg&#8221; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;on&#8221; show_bottom_space=&#8221;off&#8221; align_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; align_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;||2px|&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;slide&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset2&#8243; box_shadow_horizontal=&#8221;4px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical=&#8221;4px&#8221; always_center_on_mobile=&#8221;on&#8221; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1.0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Caption 1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; text_font=&#8221;|600|||||||&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;12px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.4em&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;8px|||2px&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; _i=&#8221;1&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1.1&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Plaintiff Emily Bellamy is a single mother and the primary caregiver of four children. Her driver&#8217;s license was suspended after she failed to pay traffic tickets, but she said her does not make enough salary to pay fines and provide for her family.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=&#8221;Image 2&#8243; src=&#8221;http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DriversLicenseP4_AP.jpg&#8221; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;on&#8221; show_bottom_space=&#8221;off&#8221; align_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; align_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;||2px|&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;slide&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset2&#8243; box_shadow_horizontal=&#8221;4px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical=&#8221;4px&#8221; always_center_on_mobile=&#8221;on&#8221; _i=&#8221;2&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1.2&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Caption 2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; text_font=&#8221;|600|||||||&#8221; 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