# What is a "broken seal" hearing?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-broken-seal-hearing/781960>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 11, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-broken-seal-hearing/781960 "2017-03-11T22:35:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-broken-seal-hearing/781960/1 "2017-03-11T22:35:43Z")

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I was doing some genealogical research, and found a newspaper with the legal announcements section mentioning the subject of my search. It said…

> [@](#):
>
> Friday, Aug. 1. John Q. Public, Denver, broken seal, hearing is pending.

Names changed to protect the questionably innocent, of course.

Does anybody know what in the world this means? This paper was from 1973, if that has any bearing on things… and in South Dakota.

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**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-broken-seal-hearing/781960/2 "2017-03-11T22:58:40Z")

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Is this in the criminal/traffic section of the court listings? If so, probably a liquor law violation. For example, South Dakota law says it is a violation to have a liquor bottle in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle “[unless the seal of the original package remains unbroken](http://www.sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/Codified_Laws/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=35-1-9.1).”

Similarly, the [Mitchell (S.D.) city code](http://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/getBookData.php?chapter_id=29749) says “Liquor Establishments: It shall be unlawful for any licensee holding any on-sale alcoholic beverage or malt beverage license of whatever nature to permit any person to leave the premises for which said license is issued with any open container containing an alcoholic beverage of whatever nature on which the tap or seal has been broken, except as authorized by the city council, pursuant to South Dakota Codified Laws 35-1-5.3 and in connection with special events the city council will approve the container that will be used for the special event.”

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**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2017, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-broken-seal-hearing/781960/3 "2017-03-12T00:17:35Z")

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> [@slash2k](#):
>
> Is this in the criminal/traffic section of the court listings? If so, probably a liquor law violation. For example, South Dakota law says it is a violation to have a liquor bottle in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle “[unless the seal of the original package remains unbroken](http://www.sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/Codified_Laws/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=35-1-9.1).”
> 
> Similarly, the [Mitchell (S.D.) city code](http://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/getBookData.php?chapter_id=29749) says “Liquor Establishments: It shall be unlawful for any licensee holding any on-sale alcoholic beverage or malt beverage license of whatever nature to permit any person to leave the premises for which said license is issued with any open container containing an alcoholic beverage of whatever nature on which the tap or seal has been broken, except as authorized by the city council, pursuant to South Dakota Codified Laws 35-1-5.3 and in connection with special events the city council will approve the container that will be used for the special event.”

Ha! I can’t believe that didn’t even occur to me.