DUI Expert Lousiville Magazine Paul Gold #22

Paul Gold named Louisville Magazine’s Derby Expert #22: Emergency Contact, sighting his golden touch in DUI cases

April 2015 Issue: Print Edition – pg. 19; Digital Edition – pg. 39

Listen up, party people. If your Derby weekend agenda leans heavily on intoxication, irresponsibility will likely follow. No judgment here. You do you. But here’s a tip: Keep criminal and DUI attorney Paul Gold’s cell phone number close by. In 2012, the Courier-Journal wrote about Gold’s “golden touch” with DUI cases, having won 28 of 31 from 2007 to 2012. He’s got 35 years of practicing law behind him, and he served nine years as a Jefferson County District Court judge. Better call Paul.

First off, Gold says, if you’re boozing with Mardi Gras mentality — everyone’s sloshed, they won’t get me! I’m on vacaaaaayyyyy! — you’re wrong. Derby and Christmas are Gold’s busiest times of year for drinking-related cases. “If people don’t believe police are waiting outside of bars, they should have their heads examined,” he says.

Second, if you get pulled over, be cool. “You should not tell people everything you know,” Gold says. If you’ve had 19 beers, don’t advertise it.

Also, you are not required to take field sobriety tests. Let’s say you have a bad knee or a pulled hamstring from twerking in the infield. That could make it impossible for you to complete a field sobriety test, Gold says. So refuse it. “Then the officer will say, ‘Well, I’m going to have to take you down for suspicion of driving under the influence.’ Well, you knew you were going to do poorly anyway. You were going to get arrested. Why give them the field sobriety test?” Gold says. (He is good. The C-J reported he’ll relentlessly challenge arresting officers. If, for instance, the cop cites glassy eyes as evidence, Gold might argue: Did the officer ask the defendant if he read too much that evening?)

A few more things:
1) Get an independent blood test. It’s your right and Gold says the breathtest machine used at Louisville Metro Corrections is antiquated and unreliable.

2) Know where the hell you’re going. On Derby weekend, Gold often sees out-of

According to news reports, the tickets were worth $42 and he bought them for $100. A few moments later, a guy walked up to the vet and asked, “You got an extra ticket?” Vet said, “Yup.” Sold it for $100. Oops. Just sold it to a police officer. Long story short: Vet spent Derby in a chain-link cage at Churchill Downs. Got groped by another prisoner. His case eventually got dismissed. Gold got curious as to where those tickets originated. Turns out they came from a stack of 500-plus tickets Churchill Downs had given to the governor of Kentucky.

— Anne Marshall

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