Top Seal Beach DUI Attorney
☎️ Call Matt Direct at: 310-527-4100
A DUI can have a very negative impact on your permanent record . Matthew has been defending DUI for over 25 years. Matt is a member of the National College of DUI Defense and is TOP RATED in the nation in the area of defense of drivers accused of being impaired behind the wheel.
Arrested for drunk driving can be very scary, you need a Top Tier lawyer in your corner, Matthew Ruff is here to help. Are you in need of a Seal Beach DUI Lawyer? The town of Seal Beach is known for its great weather and beaches and many flock to this great seaside town to vacation and have fun in the sun. However, with the fun comes drinking and the consumption of alcohol and sometimes a DUI. The Seal Beach police are ever vigilant for drinking drivers and a drunk driving arrest is taken very seriously by the local Orange County District Attorney and Westminster Court. Whatever type of case you have, simple 23152, marijuana or drugs, DWI with injury, priors, you name it, a Seal Beach DUI attorney can help.
The Highest Success Rate!
Just last week Matthew resolved a complex DWI case in Orange County California involving a speed enhancement, reckless driving and high BAC over .20 allegation. The client was arrested after the CHP got him on radar driving 109 mph. During the stop they smelled alcohol and observed slurred speech which culminated into a full blown intoxication investigation. Ultimately the client took a breath test which reported a result of .24%, 3 times the legal limit in California. Based on current law, the client was looking at a minimum mandatory 60 days jail if convicted. Matthew had a tough case but he has handled those before with great success. Matthew conferred with the local District Attorney on multiple occasions and was able to negotiate a DISMISSAL OF THE .20 ALLEGATION and a DISMISSAL OF THE RECKLESS DRIVING SPEED ENHANCEMENT.
Matt was retained by a client arrested for DUI near Seal Beach after he left a local bar. The officers claimed he was speeding and made an unsafe lane change in his Dodge Charger. The officers smelled alcohol emitting from his breath and detected slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. He was asked to exit his vehicle and perform various FST exrcises and he blew into a PAS breath test (never recommended) which showed a .20 BAC. He was arrested and advised he must submit to a evidentiary chemical blood test or breath test, he refused. The officers confiscated his license and served him an order of suspension for 1 year. He contacted Top DUI Attorney Matthew Ruff. Matt immediately got a DMV hearing and stopped the suspension. At the hearing Matt obtained the body-cam evidence of the arrest and was able to show the facts were quite different from the police report. Matt argued his client's rights were violated and the DMV agreed, THE 1 YEAR REFUSAL SUSPENSION WAS SET ASIDE!
One of the most common charges Matt sees is an allegation that a client allegedly refused to submit to a breath or blood test. This allegation is very serious because it carries the possibility of a mandatory suspension or revocation of driving privileges for up to 3 years at the DMV. Matt fights these cases aggressively and has had tremendous success in winning DMV hearings on this issue. For example, in one recent case we defended a client accused of refusal after he was arrested by CHP. The officer claimed our client refused to submit to either test and his license was confiscated. A DMV hearing was demanded and the attorney was able to persuade the evidence was lacking. Consequently, the DMV SET ASIDE THE SUSPENSION and returned the client's license.
Arrests for driving under the influence of marijuana are becoming more and more common since California decriminalized recreational cannabis products. Matt is an authority on DUID and is often called upon to speak on the subject. The most important difference between a DWI involving drugs and one pertaining to alcohol is that there is no per se limit. Unlike alcohol related drunk driving, if you are charged with driving while impaired from THC the state must prove you were actually impaired by the substance. Matthew has been successful in getting these charges dropped in most of the cases he takes. Call Top Seal Beach DUI Attorney Matthew Ruff today for a no obligation consultation where he can discuss possible defenses and your options.
DUI Attorney Matthew Ruff has defended many driving under the influence cases in and around seal beach and he knows the best way to help a person get through a DUI case. First, the DMV must be contacted so that a hearing can be set up to challenge the APS suspension that flows from a drunk driving detention or arrest. The information about the suspension process can be found on the pink piece of paper given to you when you were released from the Seal Beach jail. Unless the DMV is contacted and a challenge is made to the action, the person's driving privilege will be suspended from anywhere to 4 months and up to 3 years depending on the type of case and the number of prior DUI arrests the individual has in their background.
If, for example the Seal Beach DUI arrest involved a refusal to take a chemical test, then the possible consequences relating to their license is up to a 2 year revocation if the person has one or more prior DUI or DWI actions in the last 10 years. For most people if a breath or blood test was taken a 4 month suspension is hanging over their head if the APS action is upheld. This is where an experienced Seal Beach DUI lawyer like Matthew Ruff can help. For one thing the breath test that is administered by the local police and CHP is usually faulty in some way, that is that the officer in many cases does not follow the California regulations that spell out how a breath test must be given within the context of a driving under the influence investigation. For example, in one recent case Matthew was able to uncover the fact that the officer did not continuously observe the arrested person for a minimum of 15 minutes before a test was taken. In that particular DUI case the CHP officer swore under penalty of perjury that he followed the regs but Mr. Ruff impeached him with the state's own records of the testing process and the case resulted in all charges being thrown out in Court after trial.
Another classic type of violation of law in DUI cases is when the police stop and detain a person without the requisite level of probable cause. Any good Seal Beach DUI Lawyer should examine the police reports carefully to scrutinize whether the officer violated the client's fourth amendment rights at the time of the initial contact. In one recent case Mr. Ruff believed that his client was the victim of a constitutional rights violation when the local cop pulled his client over for allegedly running a stop sign. The client told the attorney that he did not commit the violation and was the victim of racial profiling. Matthew argued the case to the hearing officer at the DMV and persuaded her that the client was pulled over for no legal reason and the entire case was dropped.
Indeed, many legitimate defenses exist to fight a DUI charge in Seal Beach and other cities in Orange County. One frequently overlooked defense that many inexperienced DUI lawyers overlook is that of a "rising blood alcohol" situation. This occurs when a person is tested, either breath or blood. shortly after they consumed alcohol. The body has not yet absorbed the alcohol that was recently consumed and therefore it is not in the bloodstream at the time of driving (If alcohol is not in the bloodstream, it is not affecting the brain and therefore not causing impairment). However, by the time the test was taken the alcohol has now been absorbed and the blood alcohol level is higher than it was when the person was stopped, thus the term: "rising blood alcohol". This defense has been used many times by DUI attorney Matthew Ruff in cases ranging from a BAC level of .08 up to .15. If you had something to drink within a 2 hour time frame prior to your arrest, this defense can be utilized to possibly get the DUI charges dropped or reduced both at the DMV hearing and in the Seal Beach Criminal Court. For example, in one recent case Matt defended a client arrested near the beach after he spent the evening drinking with friends. The reported blood alcohol level at the time of testing was .12 BAC. The last drink was within 45 minutes of the stop so Matt knew he had something to work with. He hired a forensic alcohol consultant to testify regarding absorption and elimination of alcohol and was able to put his BAC below .08 at the time of driving. Matt won the DMV hearing which was extremely important because the offense was his 2nd DUI in 10 years.
Another defense that a Seal Beach DUI defense lawyer should consider is whether "mouth alcohol" has played a role in the breath testing process. The fact of the matter is that most folks stopped for DWI have been drinking and those drinks will usually cause burping or belching. When this happens the small amount of stomach alcohol that may have come up from the stomach could adversely impact the amount of alcohol the machine is saying is in your blood. A seasoned Seal Beach DUI attorney should always explore this possibility and in fact Matthew Ruff has beat many cases using this as a defense.
If you or a loved one has been arrested or charged with a Seal Beach DUI, alcohol offense, DWI or drunk driving violation you owe it to yourself to ensure that they are properly represented by a DUI attorney who knows the law, knows the science and knows the local Court system am prosecutors. If you think the Judge or DA will be sympathetic to your case you are sadly mistaken. The judicial system will want to get a conviction for DUI at any cost and only a Seal Beach criminal defense lawyer will fight to ensure your rights are protected and a favorable resolution is obtained.
Recent Case Results out of the Seal Beach (Westminster) Court
DUI with accident. Breath test at the scene showed a blood alcohol level of .10%, client swerved off the road and crashed her car, case investigated by the CHP, DUI charges filed against client (23152) in Westminster Court, CHP officer took license at time of arrest. Result: Attorney Matthew Ruff got the client's license returned at the DMV hearing. In OC West Court the lawyer got all DUI and alcohol charges dropped to a "Dry Reckless".
Bar Fight where the victim was severely injured by the client requiring surgery and metal plates in the victim's jaw. Charged with assault with deadly weapon PC245 and great bodily injury. Attorney Matthew Ruff got all felony charges dismissed in Westminster Court and the case was reduced to a misdemeanor with no jail.
Our office handles all manner of alcohol and drug charges relating to operating a motor vehicle in Huntington Beach. Minors with zero tolerance actions VC 23140 and 23136, possession of marijuana VC 23222 and prescription drug allegations, DUI with injury 23153, you need a criminal defense attorney familiar with the Seal Beach jurisdiction and Westminster Courts. Contact Mr. Ruff directly toll free at 1-877-213-4453 for a no obligation case review today.