Nicole Richie Waits It Out
And so the saga of Nicole Richie's wrong turn continues.
Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Steven Lubell has granted the Simple Life star's request to postpone the start of her DUI trial until Aug. 16.
Richie's attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, filed a motion Tuesday asking that the trial be delayed because an expert defense witness would be out of the country and unavailable to testify through the beginning of next month. (Read the motion.)
Dr. Terence Sean McGee is expected to challenge the conclusions reached by the prosecution's drug recognition expert following Richie's arrest.
In a supplemental declaration filed Wednesday, Holley said McGee would be testifying about the unreliability of urine tests as "an indicator of impairment," and on the length of time hydrocodone (the main ingredient in the painkiller Vicodin) can be detected in urine after it is ingested.
"His testimony will be critical to Miss Richie's case and there is no other expert retained by the defense who can testify in this regard," Holley wrote in her original filing.
Despite stating last month that he would grant no further continuances in the case, Lubell was sufficiently swayed to rule in favor of the motion.
However, he ordered the petite reality star to appear in person at her next hearing—a concession not normally required of misdemeanor offenders. Richie was not present during Wednesday's hearing.
Though there were reports that Richie would be weighing a plea bargain, neither the prosecution or the defense commented on whether any deal was in the works.
Richie's legal troubles began in December, when she was arrested for allegedly driving the wrong way on a Los Angeles freeway. Police said that she admitted smoking marijuana and taking the painkiller Vicodin before getting behind the wheel of her black SUV.
She pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence at her arraignment hearing in February.
If convicted of the charge, she faces a minimum sentence of five days in jail and could potentially serve up to a year behind bars due to a prior DUI conviction on her record.
Richie was photographed Monday catching a flight to Canada with boyfriend Joel Madden. She avoided smiling for the cameras by using a pillow to shield her face and torso, fueling speculation that she was perhaps concealing a baby bump. (Either that, or just messing with the paparazzi.)
With pregnancy rumors flying fast and furious, Richie has yet to confirm or deny that she is expecting.
Her rep had no comment on the situation last week, telling E! News: "[We have] nothing to report."
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