CJUS230 Case Brief
Caption
Lambert v. Commonwealth, 274 Va. 630 (2007)
Facts
During the unfortunate incident that occurred on March 1, 2015, Clinard Gary Lambert found himself in a collision with Donna Turner’s car, tragically resulting in the loss of passenger Forrest Ramey’s life. Following this devastating event, Lambert faced serious charges including aggravated involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence. Multiple witnesses were present during the accident and attested to observing signs of impairment from Lambert before and after impact. To gather more evidence regarding his condition at the time of the incident, a subsequent blood test was conducted which revealed traces of methadone as well as medications such as Valium and Xanax. Initially denying any drug consumption involvement altogether, Lambert later confessed to undergoing methadone treatment.
Procedural History
Lamberts’s case was brought before to the Court of Appeal. His argument centered on questioning the adequacy of conclusive proof regarding self-administration. Regrettably, his plea
was dismissed by the trial court, leading to Lambert’s conviction for both charges being upheld. The Court of Appeals subsequently affirmed these convictions as well, compelling Lambert to seek redress from Virginia’s Supreme Court in hopes of obtaining a thorough reevaluation and deliberation of his case.
