Case SummariesTime and again, attorney John Kannin and Kannin Law Firm's aggressive criminal defense and personal injury tactics, innovative legal strategies and hard work has paid off in victories for our clients, even in the most difficult and seemingly hopeless cases. Kannin Law Firm's proven track record of excellence in criminal and DUI defense is evidenced by the selected case summaries below and by clients' DUI Over the Limit But Not a Felony Crime: (State of Washington v. J.L.J., King County Superior Court Seattle) Returning home one rainy night, the client's van collided with a vehicle parked on the I-5 freeway Ship Canal Bridge, severely injuring another man who had stopped to help a disabled driver. When police arrived they found wrecked vehicles, broken bodies, and alcoholic beverage containers on the freeway. Instead of a breath test the Washington State trooper used a blood test to determine that the client's driving was impaired by alcohol. Rather than charging him with a DUI, however, the man was charged with vehicular assault, a class B felony. This young man faced serious jail time and life as a convicted felon. Criminal defense lawyer John Kannin recognized that while his client may have been over the limit for our State's implied consent law, he was not responsible for causing the injury accident, thus not guilty of vehicular assault. Nonetheless the State refused to accept a negotiated plea to DUI, a gross misdemeanor. After a contentious 14-day jury trial, the jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty to vehicular assault and agreed that the man's only crime was DUI. Turning the Tables on the Prosecution: In City of Seattle vs. G.B. the prosecution presented an incriminating video showing a highly inebriated client being arrested in front of her house in Seattle. The defendant was charged with DUI and causing a motor vehicle accident. John Kannin was able to turn this allegedly incriminating evidence, in conjunction with the case timeline, to his client's benefit. Mr. Kannin used the video as a defense tool to elicit sympathy from the jury and to show reasonable doubt as to the sequence of events. As a result, the jury returned with a not-guilty verdict. Innovative Defense Theory: (City of Shoreline v. D.E.) During this DUI trial lawyer John Kannin presented a novel defense using an alternative theory of intoxication. Mr. Kannin argued that his client's high BAC reading was due to intoxication by paint fumes rather than alcohol. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty. Sex Offenses: Failure to Register People Are More Than Paperwork: In the State of Washington v. M.H. (King County Superior Court Seattle), the prosecution demanded that defendant M.H., a convicted sex offender, plead guilty to failure to register as a sex offender, a felony crime. Prosecuting attorney Todd Bergstrom claimed that the defendant falsified his registration paperwork, and that all the State needed to do was show the paperwork to the jury in order to secure a conviction. He paid no attention to the defendant's claims that he had in fact listed the correct information on the registration documents and was telling the truth. M.H. asserted his innocence, his Seattle criminal defense lawyer John Kannin presented his case to the jury, and the State presented its paperwork. The jury returned a Not Guilty verdict, proving that people are more than paperwork. Assualt/Battery Two Out of Three Ain't Bad: In City of Seattle v. M.B.M., a jury trial in the Seattle Municipal Court, M.B.M. was charged with three counts of assault, each a gross misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $5,000.00 fine. The City of Seattle prosecution team refused to accept M.B.M.'s version of what happened at a local night spot here in Seattle. Criminal defense lawyer John Kannin presented his case to the jury. The judge stopped Mr. Kannin during his closing argument, telling him he was "taking too much time." Argument on counts one and two got through, and the jury returned verdicts of not guilty on these two counts. The jury returned a verdict of guilty on the third count. Interestingly enough, the only count the defendant was convicted of was the one the judge would not allow Mr. Kannin to tell the jury about in his closing arguments. Where Did the Love Go? In the State of Washington vs. S.A., the defendant was accused by his wife of assault domestic violence. She claimed he shoved and pushed her, verbally abusing her, and punched holes in the wall of their house. The State of Washington charged the man with malicious mischief in the third degree and assault in the fourth degree, domestic violence. S.A. claimed that he never intentionally committed these acts and pleaded not guilty on all counts. The State's prosecuting attorney refused to believe Mr. S's account of events, and the case went to a jury trial in Pierce County District Court. During cross-examination of S.A.'s wife, Mr. Kannin was able to demonstrate to the jury that she was not in fact the victim in the case, but the aggressor, and had been armed with a metal cane at the time her husband allegedly assaulted her. Halfway through the trial, Mr. Kannin also moved for acquittal on Count One of malicious mischief, arguing that there was no evidence of significant damage to the walls of the house, and the prosecution had only guessed at the cost of repairs, thus failing to put on sufficient proof of this charge. The judge agreed and acquitted S.A. of the malicious mischief charge. After Mr. Kannin's defense had been presented, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on the charge of domestic violence. His client was acquitted and grateful that he could get on with his life after facing the government's challenging criminal accusations head on and winning! For zealous and effective legal representation in your case, call Kannin Law Firm at 206-574-0202. Kannin Law Firm's criminal defense attorneys have the experience and skills necessary to ensure the best possible outcome in your case, and the track record to prove it. Other Kannin Law Firm cases of note include: Case: City of Seattle v. R.W.: Assault Domestic Violence (two counts) and Violation of a No-Contact Order in Seattle. Case: State of Washington v. D.B.: DUI and DWLS 1st Degree in King County South. Case: State of Washington v. J.M.: DUI in Tacoma. Case: State of Washington v. C.N.: DUI in King County South. Case: Seattle v. G.B.: Seattle DUI and motor vehicle accident. Case: State of Washington v. J.L.J.: Vehicular Assault King County freeway. Case: W.R. Smith v. Seattle: Civil Rights/Police Misconduct. For information on Kannin Law Firm's personal injury and civil rights experience, go to www.kanninlaw.com.
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