Amanda Bynes' lawyer wants to resolve New York drug case by December
Amanda Bynes' lawyer has asked a New York judge to postpone a drug and reckless endangerment case relating to her arrest in May (13) for up to 18 months while the actress continues to undergo psychiatric treatment.
The Hairspray star has been under doctors' care since July (13), when she was admitted to a California clinic for an emergency mental health evaluation after reportedly starting a small fire on a driveway in her parents' Thousand Oaks neighborhood, and her attorney, Gerald Shargel, headed to Manhattan Criminal Court on her behalf on Thursday morning (26Sep13) to continue fighting charges against his client.
Shargel told the judge he was eager to reach a settlement with
prosecutors in the actress' absence, stating, "If she's not able to
be here it doesn't mean there can't be a resolution on the case...
It's uncertain when she'll be released (from psychiatric
care)."
The case has been adjourned until 5 December (13), but Shargel is
hopeful to have worked out an agreement with the Manhattan
District's Attorney by then, revealing that one of the options
being discussed is court-ordered treatment for Bynes.
The New York court date occurred just two days after Bynes' Los
Angeles lawyer, Richard Hutton, claimed she was not mentally fit to
stand trial to face separate charges of driving under the
influence. That case dates back to April, 2012, when she reportedly
side-swiped a police car in California.
Meanwhile, Bynes' mother Lynn has dropped her bid to seek permanent
conservatorship over the star, according to TMZ.com. She reportedly
withdrew her petition ahead of a court date on Monday (30Sep13) as
doctors have already been granted permission to keep the actress
under close watch and have given Lynn the power to make medical and
financial decisions for her daughter.