Lindsay Lohan, 26, is expected in a Los Angeles courtroom Monday, March 18, where she faces trial for her lying-to-cops case, according to Radar Online. Lindsay faces three counts stemming from a June car crash, but as the trial is set to start, she has yet to approve a new lawyer in the case. The Judge admonished her New York attorney Mark Heller, calling him “incompetent” to practice criminal law in California. The judge told Lindsay if she continues in the case with Heller, he’ll make her sign a waiver first. Heller, along with Lohan’s dad Michael, are allegedly trying to hire a California law firm and bring a new lawyer into the case, but as of Saturday afternoon Lindsay had still not approved their bid.
Mark Heller contacted the respected Orange County criminal law firm of Wallin & Klarichto to assist him in Lohan’s defense. According to partner Paul Wallin at the firm, the specific attorney who was requested was David Wohl, a 24-year veteran of California courts and a regular legal contributor for Fox News.
Wohl tweeted he’s intending to be in court Monday, but Lindsay still has yet to approve him to represent her in the case, as reported by Gulf News. What’s expected to happen, if Lohan does indeed okay him, is that he’d immediately request a continuance so as to get up to speed in the case. It’s likely that request would be granted by the judge, thus once again delaying the trial.
Mark Hellar’s request for a delay last week was denied. L.A. County Superior Court Judge James Dabney told the “Mean Girls” actress the last time she was in court that if she proceeded with Heller as her sole legal counsel, she would be required to sign a waiver stating she was aware that he is incompetent in California criminal law.
An interesting note about that waiver, veteran defense attorney and former prosecutor Dmitry Gorin, said such a waiver was “almost unprecedented”, and that the entire issue could be used as grounds for an appeal on any decision the court makes in Lindsay’s case.
Perhaps that's Lohan's intent in not approving another lawyer. Maybe she's figured out that if she goes forward with Hellar, and signs the waiver, she's already got grounds for an appeal.
But maybe Lindsay will approve the new attorney on Monday so she can get the continuance. Either way, it looks like this case will continue to be dragged out.
Lindsay was involved in a rear-end accident on the PCH in Santa Monica last June at which time she told police her assistant Gavin Doyle was driving. Cops investigated and determined Lohan lied and was actually the driver.
Lindsay faces one misdemeanor count each of reckless driving, providing false information to an officer and willfully resisting, obstructing or delaying an officer. Each misdemeanor carries potential jail sentences ranging from three months to a year.
Lohan also is facing probation violation for her 2011 Venice jewelry heist case. The actress has been on probation for various drunken-driving and shoplifting charges going back to 2007, and has accumulated what Judge Dabney described as a “voluminous court file”.
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