City of Minneapolis v. Altimus
Minnesota Supreme Court
238 N.W.2d 851 (1976)
Robert Altimus (defendant) crashed his car into a garbage truck, fled the scene, and later assaulted a police officer at the hospital; he presented evidence he did not remember the incidents because he had taken Valium as prescribed for a back problem, and his doctor testified confusion and fatigue were common Valium side effects. The trial court refused to instruct the jury on involuntary intoxication and instead limited intoxication as a defense only to whether Altimus could form specific intent for the assault charge; he was convicted of careless driving and hit-and-run but acquitted of assault.
Whether, in Minnesota, a defense of involuntary intoxication resulting from ingestion of a medically prescribed drug is valid if the drug is taken by the defendant pursuant to medical advice and without the defendant's knowledge of the side effects.