Tag Archive for: Charged with Impaired Driving in Toronto

recent success donna pledge charged with driving under the influence

Recent Success – Charged with Impaired Driving (March 2019)

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My client was charged with Over 80 mgs of Alcohol in 100 mls of Blood and Impaired Driving Care or control. After a trial both charges were dismissed.

The Scenario

My client was located by the police in an individual’s home after the individual had found her sitting in her vehicle outside of his residence. This individual woke up one morning to my client’s vehicle parked outside of his residence and became concerned because my client – who was sitting in the driver seat – appeared to be asleep or passed out. Other passerbys also noticed my client asleep or passed out in her vehicle and stopped to see if she was ok. Then, the owner of the residence my client was parked in front of, came outside and asked her to come into his house.

In the interim, my client had phoned her mother and a work colleague indicating where she was located and told them that she could not drive. Both her work colleague and my client’s mother attended the residence to find my client passed out on the couch. They became concerned because they had difficulty waking her and called EMS. Upon EMS arriving the police also arrived and after speaking with the owner of the residence, my client was arrested for Impaired Driving and Driving with Over 80 mgs of alcohol in 100 mls of blood care or control.

Our Process

My client initially retained other counsel. My client attended my office to seek a second opinion because her then counsel wanted her to plead guilty. It was her then counsel’s opinion that she would not win at trial and in order to seek a more lenient sentence she would have to plead guilty. After speaking with my client it was my opinion that in fact at the point in time when the offence is alleged to have been committed, my client was not in care or control of her motor vehicle and had in fact put into place a plan to ensure that she would not drive. We proceeded to trial and after trial both charges were dismissed for the foregoing reason.

Get the Best Defence: DV Pledge

It is important sometime to seek a second opinion from a lawyer with respect to your case. As in my client’s case a second opinion proved to be not only invaluable but was the deciding factor between my client getting a criminal record and losing her driver’s license and not. I, Donna Pledge, provide second opinions on a regular basis.

Call 416-630-8702 or click here to email. 

Donna V. Pledge, Barrister & Solicitor 

Donna V Pledge, is a highly experienced criminal lawyer in Toronto with over twenty-five years of experience in the area of criminal offences. She has been successfully defending clients since 1992. She has earned the reputation of a tough and no-nonsense lawyer who can get her clients out of any criminal case with either a full acquittal or a very light sentence. Donna Pledge represents her clients in courts all over Ontario. 

Charged with Impaired Driving Toronto

Recent Successes – Charged with Impaired Driving: R. v. J.B.L. (February 2018)

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Charged with Impaired Driving TorontoCharged with Impaired Driving and Driving with Over 80 mgs of Alcohol in 100 mgs of Blood

My client was charged with Impaired Driving and Driving with Over 80 mgs of Alcohol in 100 mgs of Blood. Both charges were dismissed after trial.

On the evening that my client was charged he had done everything right. He went to a friend’s uncle’s residence to get together with his nephew who was visiting from away. My client consumed a quantity of alcohol, to the extent that he did not want to drive home. As a result my client’s friend, the nephew, drove him home, and his uncle followed in another vehicle. The intention was that the uncle was going to follow to pick up the nephew after my client was dropped off with his vehicle.

An Unfortunate Misunderstanding

Unfortunately, on the way home the nephew ended up causing an accident. As circumstances had it my client exited his vehicle, from the passenger side first and approached the other driver and apologized. My client’s actions, including providing his Driver License, Insurance and Registration gave the impression to the other driver that in fact my client was driving, which he was not. However, as a result and ultimately against my client’s protestations that he was not driving, my client was arrested for the charges of Impaired Driving charged and Driving with Over 80 mgs of Alcohol in 100 mgs of Blood.

Our Process

When my client came to me the first thing we did was ensure we had the necessary witnesses, the nephew and uncle, for Trial. We had both of them provide written statements that they signed and we filed in my client’s file. Next, we checked for any video coverage from the neighbouring buildings. We were fortunate enough to obtain video coverage of the accident, however because of the distance we were unable to identify who exited from the driver’s side and passenger side of my client’s vehicle after the accident. Therefore, the video coverage was inconclusive as to whether or not my client was the driver.

Therefore, it was essential that I be able to raise  reasonable doubt by cross examining the witness/driver that my client’s nephew hit, in order to establish that he could have been mistaken as to who the driver of my client’s vehicle was. I was able to establish through cross examination of the other driver that in fact circumstances could have caused him to mistakenly identify my client as the driver.

Get the Best Defence: DV Pledge

As such, although it is very important to do everything you can including gathering witnesses and evidence to support your case, it is most important that you hire experienced defence counsel to represent you. Donna Pledge, Barrister and Solicitor, is an experienced criminal defence counsel that could ultimately make the difference between winning and loosing your case.

Call 416-630-8702 or click here to email

Donna V. Pledge, Barrister & Solicitor

Donna V Pledge, is a highly experienced criminal lawyer in Toronto with over twenty-five years of experience in the area of criminal offences. She has been successfully defending clients since 1992. She has earned the reputation of a tough and no-nonsense lawyer who can get her clients out of any criminal case with either a full acquittal or a very light sentence. Donna Pledge represents her clients in courts all over Ontario.